Christ Our Cornerstone

Oh, give thanks to the Lord for he is good, for his steadfast love endures forever.

The psalmist launches in with a grand call. He's a worship leader. This seems to be the king, a military leader in the midst of a battle. But it's also a worship leader calling all of Israel to give thanks to the Lord. And if you've been with us, that all caps Lord, capital L, capital O, capital R, capital D, that's how they would refer to Yahweh. Instead of writing Yahweh, the covenant personal most important name given in the Old Testament. We have better names in the New Testament. Father, Son, Spirit, more clearly tied to who God is. But Yahweh is this first name of the covenant name of the promises of God. Give thanks to Yahweh. Yahweh is declared 28 different times in this psalm. It's a psalm of Yahweh. It's a psalm for us to know how to call upon him and trust him and rejoice in him. Give thanks to Yahweh. Verse one tells us two reasons to give thanks to Yahweh. For he is good. For steadfast love endures forever. Normally Psalms of Thanksgiving are looking back at something God has done. So we're thanking him for something he has done here. We're thanking him for who he is and that he has given a promise to give steadfast love forever. It is about who he is and what he's done, but it's an ongoing, his steadfast love is forever. Let's first consider, give thanks to Yahweh, for he is good. Is it helpful just to pause and let that wash over us? Do we really just reflect upon God is good? In the midst of a world where we've heard of all kinds of different attacks and, and, and there's wars and rumors of wars and, and changing of, of, of, of empires and, and, and who's in charge of different countries. And there's, there's terrifying, uh, fears all around us. Give thanks to Yahweh for he's good. Last week, we looked at one of the most important foundations we have in knowing who God is and I relate to him. He's the creator. We're creatures who depend upon God as our creator. This week, another starting point. Our God is good. He's perfectly good. He's always good. He defines what is good. If you want to know what good is, look up to God and learn what he is like. He is good. Let him define what goodness is. It's especially important as you look at the rest of the Psalm because it's important to remember God is good in the midst of trouble because we too easily project back to God our own experiences or what we think is happening. It's important we always remember God is good. Satan's first attack on humanity was to lead us to think God wasn't good. Did God really say you can't have anything? Is really is that God can't be good. He would not want you to eat anything in the garden. Satan is still attacking the same way. If he gets into your small crack of weakness of doubting God's goodness, well, that's going to destroy trust. It's going to hinder your faith. We must remember and always give thanks. God is good. He is perfectly good. We must remember and remind each other he is good. Secondly, the good God, his steadfast love endures forever. His steadfast love, that's a promise and a direction in his relationship from his goodness. Because he's good, he's made good promises and he's able to keep them. He's committed himself in steadfast love. The Hebrew word here, I don't often give you Hebrew words, but I think this is significant. It's hesed. When you have a cold, it's easier to say. It's the covenant love. Other translations would call it mercy. It's his promise to show love that is merciful, that is undeserving to a people to save them. It's language built upon the Abrahamic covenant that I will bless you, and I will bless you, and I will bless you. And it's language is specifically of the Davidic covenant. I will show my steadfast love to your son. We give thanks to Yahweh because he's good. And as a good God, he's promised his people salvation. He's promised to always be the faithful God to his people. And notice it's, oh, give thanks to the Lord for he is good. The worship leader says, for all people. And then he leads us.

Let Israel say, his steadfast love endures forever. Let the house of Aaron say, his steadfast love endures forever. Let all those who fear the Lord say, his steadfast love endures forever.

And that fear might be the, all who worship him, but it seems to be including also Gentiles. As he's declared, uh, Israel, the, the, the nation name of God's people at the house of Aaron, the, the priest who are supposed to be leading Israel in worship. Now, the, those who fear the Lord God fears those would be the Gentiles who have come to know Yahweh and trust Yahweh, even if not born among the people of Abraham. Christian, these words are. Good for us to repeat. As we think about the things we're supposed to always tell each other, the things we should be reverberating constantly and reminding each other. God is good. His steadfast love endures forever. If he's made a promise, he keeps it. And every promise reveals his goodness. And every promise he is able to keep. We think about this call to Thanksgiving. Give thanks to the Lord. That is the significant call. I believe we're typically doing one of two things. We're typically being grateful for all God has done for us and who he is, or grumbling about what we think God could be doing better. I just want to make sure those two things are in mind. And it's helpful to have good conversations with friends who hear how you normally talk and are able to help you. Are you grateful? Are your words and is your speech just marked with the sweetness of being grateful for God? Or do we tend to have too much grumbling? Idolatry throughout scripture is marked with grumbling. Worship. is marked with gratitude. A call to be thankful. And this Christmas season is the time to truly be thankful for how God has so fulfilled and revealed his steadfast love into us forever to the point of coming down to be with us, to the point of dying on the cross. So the first is to a call to thanksgiving. Now a call to trust. And here we'll look at five to 14. And the psalmist is declaring, give thanks to Yahweh for who he is and what he's promised. And now there's a context. Now there's a thanksgiving to Yahweh is now a call to trust Yahweh in the midst of a problem. Verse five,

out of my distress, I called on Yahweh. And Yahweh answered me and set me free. And Yahweh is on my side, I will not fear. What can man do to me? Yahweh is on my side as my helper. I shall look and triumph on those who hate me.

Notice he's called on Yahweh and Yahweh answered. We could have some confusion in verse five in that, I'll just live my life and if I call on God, he's kind of the, the great rescuer, like he's the fireman. I can ignore him, I can pretend he doesn't exist, but if I call on him when I need him, he'll come and help me. No, the call to trust flows from the call to thanksgiving and knowing who he is. And the psalmist, David, has a clear relationship with Yahweh as he speaks of him as my helper, my song, my strength. We too often just pretend God exists only when we need something. Now here in the midst of distress, he knows Yahweh and he knows if he calls on him, he knows Yahweh hears him. The significant declaration though is verse six and seven. He is on my side. He is on my side. That's another way of saying his steadfast love endures forever. He has promised to be with me. He has promised to be for me. These are the grand declarations of scripture. God is not distant. God is not disinterested. God is not unable to help you. No, he's with you. He's come to help us. Here the psalmist can cry out, Lord, in distress I call out to you and the Lord answered me. Notice the lack of fear. He knows Yahweh is on his side as his helper. He knows Yahweh has made promises and will keep. We keep looking at the call to trust. Notice verses eight and nine. It's helpful when we see things that are better. All of life is just about making sure we choose what's better. The best life is always choosing what's better based upon what God has said. Here we've got two betters, and they're really just heightening.

It's better to take refuge in Yahweh than to trust in man.

And that's speaking of all men in general. But notice the heightening.

It's better to take refuge in the Lord than to trust even in princes.

There's a way in which the princes are more powerful and more important than all men. The focus, though, is Yahweh is the great one who you can trust. Yahweh is the one we should trust. Now, let's be careful and not over apply this. Boy, isn't it good to have friends, humans you can trust? This isn't saying you never trust another man. The goal would be if you're going to take something to others rather than to the Lord, the most helpful way to help others is to make sure you point them to Yahweh as the psalmist is doing. 10 and 12 declares the greatness of the battle and how it feels, he's surrounded. The nations that rage against the Lord, they're surrounding him. They surround him on every side. They surround him, verse 11. And then 12 just gives us a picture that's terrifying. Like bees. Like a fire that goes out. But both these things are just uncontrollable and impossible to defeat. The fire coming in, the bees swarming around. But the other repetition here, in the name of the Lord, I cut them off. In the name of Yahweh, I cut them off. In the name of Yahweh, I cut them off. Being surrounded and certain in defeat, because Yahweh is at my side, in his name I was able to have victory. And then verses 13 to 14 show us how the battle concludes.

I was pushed hard so that I was falling, but the Lord helped me. Lord is my strength and my song, and he has become my salvation.

There's a counseling about Yahweh and his steadfast love. It felt like I was falling. It felt like there was a certain deceit as they surrounded me, but Yahweh helped. And then that declaration, he is my strength, my song, he has become my salvation. The God who we are called to think is the God who has made promises. And we can see here as a Psalmist is taking us through this, this battle that, that isn't given a specific enemy, the, the, the warfare. They're like bees. That's the best description we have. Most important thing is Yahweh's on my side. How could I fear? Yahweh is on my side. I will give thanks. Christian, this is a prayer for us to remember. The wonderful part of Psalms that are generic and don't give those specifics, we can pray this in all the different difficulties we have. If you need a prayer to pray in the midst of distress, turn to Psalm 118, but don't start at verse five. Start at verse one. This is a prayer for us to pray in the midst of whatever distress, disorder, feeling surrounded, feeling despair, feeling isolated. Start in verse one. So that the Lord can tune your heart to trust his grace. So that in your distress, you call upon the Lord and you experience it, you know it. We can call upon the Lord and trust him. The psalmist continues in a call to rejoice. Verse 14, the Lord is my strength. My song has become my salvation. That's actually reciting Exodus 15. The song of Moses after the red sea deliverance, the great salvation of all of Israel. The psalmist is wanting to point out this is a another new way in which God has brought about his salvation as the same God of old who has made the promises. And then 15 transitions that he is describing the, the response. In the tents of the righteous, in the tents of God's people, glad songs of salvation ring out. And just as God stretched out his mighty right hand to destroy Pharaoh and Egypt and the Red Sea,

the right hand of the Lord does valiantly. The right hand of the Lord exalts. The right hand of the Lord does valiantly.

The power of the Lord and his right hand has brought about a great salvation. Those who are in the tents of God They sing a song of salvation. 17 and 18. An interesting reflection here.

I shall not die, but I shall live and recount the deeds of Yahweh. Yahweh has disciplined me severely, but he has not given me over to death.

There's sort of a pause here. Kind of like verses 8 and 9, to make sure you understand it's better to trust Yahweh than anyone else as he's called out to Yahweh and then he tells you he's one. Now, there's an interesting way in which he's giving us a meditation. I shall not die, but I shall live and recount the deeds of the Lord. He's able to look back and see whatever difficulty he's gone through. It wasn't God's judgment. It was God's discipline and God disciplines those he loves. God has not abandoned me. That's why it's important to go back to verse one. Give thanks to the Lord, why? For he's good and his steadfast love endures forever. There are times where God is disciplining us and it might be tempting to think he's abandoned me. He's left me for dead. He's left me alone. No, the Lord is good and his steadfast love endures forever. He's faithful. When we're in a difficult situation, when we're in a distress, it's not that he's abandoned you, it's he's disciplining you. Even here it's severely, trust the Lord that he will hold you and keep you. That's an intense meditation on recognizing how difficult things can feel and how we might interpret things wrongly, but knowing God is good and faithful. 19 and 21, though, are very bold.

Open to me the gates of righteousness that I may enter through them and give thanks to Yahweh. This is the gate of Yahweh. The righteous shall enter through it. I thank you that you have answered me and have become my salvation.

This reads like a psalm of ascent. What the Hebrew people would have sung on the way up to Jerusalem for one of the feasts. As they ascend up, they're singing of the gates opening so they can go in with great joy. They can go into the presence of God with courage, with faith, knowing the Lord will receive them. This is the kind of thing you would expect after a battle. You're going to go back home, and they're going to open the gates, and you're going to have a parade, and people are going to celebrate. The Lord has delivered us yet again in this great military battle. He has given victory. It seems as though with the gates of the Lord and the righteous enter through it, it's also just going into the presence of God here. There's a way in which the king, the worship leader, he's saying, open to me the gates of the Lord and all who are righteous will follow. Open to me so that I may go into the presence of the Lord and I will thank him who has become my salvation. There's a way in which this is also touches the worship, not just a great celebration of victory, but a psalm of declaration that the king will lead his people into the very presence of God to thank him. Then 22 to 24, where a new kind of angle is introduced. We've given thanks to the Lord. We've called out to the Lord. He has been our help and our salvation. We're singing his praise for his victory, his right hand. We've gone into his presence to praise him and thank him. And then 23 to 24,

the stone that the builders rejected has become the cornerstone. This is the Lord's doing. It is marvelous in our eyes. This is the day that the Lord has made. Let us rejoice and be glad in it.

The stone, as much as I can understand in the original David speaking, is the king. The nations have raged against him. The nations have raged against him and surrounded him, but he has been given salvation. He's now the cornerstone. David, as a king, is foreshadowing. And he's able to say, it's Yahweh's doing. It's marvelous. This is the day the Lord has given us. Let us rejoice in the great salvation. And then 25 and 26 end with a Kind of concluding the same way it began in verse five.

Save us, we pray, Yahweh. Yahweh, we pray, give us success. Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord. We bless you from the house of Yahweh.

This is a wonderful psalm to pray as a way to remember who God is, to give him thanks. in the midst of distress, in the midst of victory. We have to learn how to give God thanks in the midst of trouble and in the midst of success. We give him thanks no matter what the world brings us, no matter what his hand of sovereignly brings before us. But here, I want to think about how David here is pointing us to Christ. Again, this is our third Psalm. We've looked at Psalm 110 as Yahweh said to my Lord, sit in my right hand and how Christ himself says he's the fulfillment of that. How the new Testament explains how he is the priest forever in the order of Mechizedek. Psalm 8, it's about God and man, but then it's also about Christ who came down to be a little lower, the son of God descending. Both of these had New Testament explanations. And as I've thought about what Psalms I want to choose, I want to make sure we're choosing the Psalms that the New Testament explicitly goes back and says, this is about Jesus. Well, David, as an author of the Psalm, I do believe he's foreshadowing who Jesus is in many ways. He's the king who leads his people into worship. David is a king who says, we must trust Yahweh. We must trust the Lord and his promises. The problem is that breaks down because David also needs to trust Yahweh for salvation. David is a sinner. But Jesus is going to come in the pattern of David. Jesus is going to come in really the better David, who has come to be the king to lead us to trust God's chesed. And Jesus himself is God's chesed. That the king is the one who comes to lead us to trust the name of the Lord, to trust his steadfast love. Well, Jesus is God himself who has come to be that king for us. We're gonna have to go and we're gonna look at more scripture than we normally do. But I want us to see how Jesus is first a fulfillment of what Psalm 18 is based upon the New Testament. Turn with me to Luke 19. If you're using a pew Bible, that's page 879. The first thing I want us to look at is Luke 19 verse 38. An important event here. This is the last time Jesus will be going into Jerusalem. This is the last time he's going to go into the city. and he's going to go this time to die. But notice, I'll start back in 37,

as he was drawing near already on the way down the Mount of Olives, the whole multitude of his disciples began to rejoice and praise God with a loud voice for all with mighty works that they had seen, saying, blessed is the king who comes in the name of the Lord, peace in heaven and glory in the highest.

Here there's a taking of this declaration from Psalm 118, blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord with, with, with, with a, an added declaration of, of praise, peace in heaven and glory on the highest. But the, the crowd, the disciples are, are, are declaring this passage of Jesus. And notice the Pharisees verse 39,

some of the Pharisees in the crowd said to Jesus, teacher, rebuke your disciples.

They understand what the disciples are saying about Jesus. They're giving Jesus a declaration of not just Messiah, but a declaration of Yahweh himself who comes in the name of the Lord, as the Lord, with glory in the highest. They're telling Jesus, you need to rebuke your disciples. They're overstepping some serious boundaries when it comes to worship. In verse 40, Jesus replies,

I tell you, if these were silent, The very stones would cry out.

Now what an incredible response. They must praise. They must declare this. This is good and this is right. Jesus is accepting worship as the one who comes in the name of the Lord, the one who has come to bring about the great salvation that all of Israel hope for. But he goes even further, it's not just good that they would say it, but that if those who God made in his own image don't use their ability to proclaim Yahweh and praise him, the stones will cry out. If we don't do our job, other parts of creation would have to come in and do them for us. It is right that Jesus would be acknowledged as a great king who has come in the name of the Lord to bring peace, to have glory in the highest. The implication here, it's right that we would worship God. It's necessary that we worship God when Christ When the Son of God entered the womb, He came to save us from our sins. He also came to save us from every form of false worship we regularly practice. Christ came to save us to worship Him. Christ came to restore true worship. It's what you were created for, designed for, have refused to do by not giving God honor or thanks. But here we see Christ is saying, this is what must happen. He's come to his creation. He's come to be part of his creation. And if we're not worshiping, if his people are not worshiping, the very stones will cry out. The second place this passage is cited is just one chapter over. If you look at chapter 20 and you see there, the heading and type of verse nine, the parable of the wicked tenants. This parable alludes back to other declarations from Isaiah that this imagery of Israel being God's vineyard is a common imagery throughout scripture. But here Christ is pointing out there's a man who owned a vineyard and he put tenants in charge of it. And well, he, when he wanted some fruit or the vine from the vineyard, he would send servants back and those tenants, they would beat them. and send them back empty-handed. And this happens a few times, and he finally says, well, I'll send my son. Surely they won't treat my son this way. But the tenants decide, well, if we kill the son, we get the vineyard. So they not only beat him and sent him empty-handed, they killed him. And then Jesus, at the end, says, Beginning verse 14,

but when the tenants saw him, they said to themselves, this is the heir. Let us kill him so that the, um, the inheritance may be ours. And they threw him out of the vineyard and killed him. What then will the owner of the vineyard do to them?

That that's depressing question. Jesus answers it.

He will come and destroy those tenants and give the vineyard to others.

Jesus is given this parable as a judgment because the tenants are the Pharisees and the scribes. The tenants are those who are supposed to be upholding the things of God and the worship of God. And here, again, he's already come in in the triumphal entry, and he's looking just days away at his own crucifixion. Well, those wicked tenants, they'll kill the son. What will the owner do to them? Well, he'll destroy them. And notice their response. But when they heard this said, surely not. Verse 17,

he looked directly at them and said, what then is this that is written? The stone that the builders rejected has become the cornerstone.

In Psalm 118, that is a grand part of the Salvation. The one who was rejected, that stone, that somewhat mysterious in the psalm itself, he's become the cornerstone. There's a way in which the one who's leading Israel into worship, the one who's leading them into praise and thanksgiving, he's the cornerstone. He's the king who's doing the Lord's will. Jesus applies this differently, though. It's a judgment. He's focusing on The Lord, the stone, the builders rejected everyone who verse 18,

everyone who falls on that stone, we broke into pieces. And when it falls on anyone, it will crush.

Notice verse 19. It's, it's, it's fun when our, our, our authors tell us what's going on in their minds.

And the scribe, the chief priests sought to lay hands on him at very hour for they perceive that he told this parable against them and they feared the people.

Sometimes parables were said to be mysterious, sometimes very clear. This one seemed to be one of those clear parables. Consider Christ by citing Psalm 118 is identifying himself as the son who goes into his father's vineyard. He's rejected by those tenants. Who's killed by those tenants. And here he's warning those tenants This is a rebuke, it is a stern. He looks at them directly to make sure they get how hard of a rebuke this is for them. There's also grace in it. He's confronting them for the way they have been rejecting him, will reject him, they're rejecting God, and there's a warning, anyone who falls a stone or the stone falls on them, it will crush them. They could still believe that he's the cornerstone. They could still repent of this rebellion. They're like the bees swarming and surrounding. They're supposed to be the people of God, not like the nations who hate God. The scribes inferred what he was implying. Christ is the stone. He is the king who isn't just rejected by the nations. He came to his own and his own knew him not. They received him not. Jesus is the son of God who created every human being. Came to save the promised people. Those promised people did not receive him. They did not believe in him. They hated him and they put him to death. Christ came to be rejected for those who had already rejected him as creator. He came to save the people who had already rejected him as creator. He came to give himself over for those who were supposed to be honoring him and thanking him and worshiping him so that he might become their cornerstone. So the cornerstone, that's that first block. That's the most important block that sets the groundwork. It's the good block that makes everything in order and aligned. Christ has come to be the new beginning for the people who would trust him. If you're not a Christian, if you turn to Acts 4.11, I'm sorry, I don't have the page number for you, but Luke, John, Acts. Peter, when he is before the council and he's being told, do not preach Jesus anymore, he alludes to this passage in verse 11 of chapter four.

This Jesus is the stone that was rejected by you, the builders, which has become the cornerstone.

And this is the most important emphasis I want you to hear.

There is salvation in no one else. For there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved.

God the Father has only one son. That son has come down to be born as a man. to be the Messiah, the anointed one of God's Spirit, to live the life we've refused, the only true, perfect, good human, because He is Almighty God, who came to be like us in every way, but without sin, so that when He dies on the cross, He is punished for the sins we've committed. And when He rises again, He gives us new life. There is no other name There's many have come after him, Muhammad, Buddha, Joseph Smith, many other false prophets who have tried to say there's something different about who God is and how salvation comes. No, Jesus is the blessed one who comes in the name of the Lord as the Lord, who alone can save you from your sins. You must believe in Jesus. If you're not a Christian, that's the only pressing point. Who is Jesus? He is the only name under heaven in which we must be saved. Christian, the passage as we see Christ is this stone and there's a judgment for those who reject him. There's life for those who believe in him. 1 Peter 2 is where I'd want to point you. 1 Peter 2.

As you come to him a living stone rejected by men, but in sight of God chosen and precious, you yourselves like living stones are being built up as a spiritual house to be a holy priesthood to offer spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ.

As Christ comes into Jerusalem one last time, He's coming to save us, he's coming to die for our sins, he's coming to rise again. And that's why he's the living stone, he's the resurrected stone. The stone who has life in himself that we can trust and build our lives upon. But notice, this is applied to, he's the stone that's bringing about a new priesthood, a new people, a new temple. As we confess Christ is the cornerstone, It's the new beginning. It's a new restoration. It's a new creation, it's new life. It's a call to true and right worship. We think of Christmas as a time to be thankful for how Christ has come to save us from our sins, and we often times think, well, New Year's, that's where we're gonna make resolutions. No. Christ came so that you can have a restart today and every day. Christ came so that you can have a new beginning today and every day. This is the day the Lord has made. Let us rejoice and be glad in it. And that means we repent of our sin so that we might grow to be more thankful. Do not delay some other kind of day or idea as to when you would repent and start over. Christmas is a grand story of how God allows you to have a new beginning in Christ. Let's turn back to Psalm 118, verse 27. The call to Thanksgiving, how he concludes.

Yahweh is God, and he has made light to shine upon us. Bind the festal sacrifice with cords up to the horns of the altar.

God has revealed himself. Yahweh is God. He is the creator. He is the one who reveals and shines light so that we can know and let us worship. Notice 27 is a declaration, Yahweh is God. That's true. But I hope you also pray verse 28.

You are my God. and I will give thanks to you. You are my God. I will extol you.

As much as we also pray you are my strength, my song, my salvation, you are my God, I will thank you. You are my God, I will praise you. Verse 29.

Oh, give thanks to Yahweh. for he is good, for his steadfast love endures forever.

Will you pray with me? Father, forgive us for how fickle we are and slow to thank you. How often our fears are more about men and others around us and events rather than properly revering you. Help us, Lord, to repent of our grumbling, pretending we can tell you how you could be doing better. Help us, Lord, to be grateful for that you are the good God who is constant You are the good God who has made promises to us. You are the good God that here at Christmas, we can rejoice in how your son has come to be among us, to fulfill that covenant, to covenant with us, being like us in every way, to forgive us and give us life. Lord, let us see that he's come to restore our worship, to be your temple, your new creation that glorifies you that blesses you as the one who is worthy of the highest glory and honor and thanks. In Jesus' name we pray, amen.