Sermon from 29th March 2020 Online church Nowra & Macarthur

Over the years as I have grown up in church I have heard a lot of Christians say a lot of statements that I agree with in principle, but haven’t always been convinced that the person saying it was really living it.

One of the more common statements I have heard many Christians say over the years is this:
“I am not religious! I don’t believe in religion, I believe in relationship.”

In other words,
“My faith is not founded on religion or the tradition of man, but my faith is founded on my relationship with Christ.”

In principle, I 100% agree with this and I am sure that all those who said something like this also 100% agreed with this in principle.

I am also sure that there are many Christians listening to me right now that also 100% agree with this in principle.

However the question is not whether you agree with this principle in theory, but will you live this principle when religious and traditional foundations that we have built over the years are truly shaken.

The whole world has had to adjust on the run very quickly to a rapidly challenging situation that seems to be changing daily all around us.

The church has not escaped this. As Christians we have been thrust into a season where the tradition of physically meeting together has been taken away from us.

We are now living in a time, whether it becomes a short season or a long season, where we must truly rely on our personal relationship with Jesus as the chief cornerstone of our faith.

Our faith cannot be built on the foundations of our religious routines, but on the foundations of our relationship with Christ.

Jesus must be our foundation, He is our cornerstone.

Isaiah‬ 28:16
“Therefore thus says the Lord GOD: “Behold, I lay in Zion a stone for a foundation, A tried stone, a precious cornerstone, a sure foundation; Whoever believes will not act hastily.”‬‬‬

When Jesus is truly your cornerstone, you will not act hastily, you will not live in panic. Your faith is founded on Jesus who is immovable and never changes, even while everything else changes around you.‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬

Psalms‬ 11:3 “If the foundations are destroyed, What can the righteous do?”‬‬‬‬

So in this season we all need to look seriously at our own foundations. Do you feel like you are on shaky grounds and about to crumble at any moment, or do you feel strong and secure in the personal relationship in Jesus that you have purposefully built over the years?

What is a cornerstone?
The cornerstone (or foundation stone or setting stone) is the first stone set in the construction of a masonry foundation. All other stones will be set in reference to this stone, thus determining the position of the entire structure.

Acts‬ 4:7-13 ‬‬
7 And when they had set them in the midst, they asked, ‘By what power or by what name have you done this?’”‬
8 “Then Peter, filled with the Holy Spirit, said to them, “Rulers of the people and elders of Israel: ‬
9 If we this day are judged for a good deed done to a helpless man, by what means he has been made well, ‬
10 let it be known to you all, and to all the people of Israel, that by the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, whom you crucified, whom God raised from the dead, by Him this man stands here before you whole. ‬
11 This is the ‘stone which was rejected by you builders, which has become the chief cornerstone.’ ‬
12 Nor is there salvation in any other, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved.” ‬
13 Now when they saw the boldness of Peter and John, and perceived that they were uneducated and untrained men, they marvelled. And they realized that they had been with Jesus. ‬‬‬‬

When Jesus is truly the cornerstone of your foundation in life you can walk with great strength by faith in these three areas: ‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬

1. WHOLENESS

 Acts‬ 4:10b “…by the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, whom you crucified, whom God raised from the dead, by Him this man stands here before you whole.”‬‬

Through the name of Jesus as the foundational cornerstone of your faith, you can stand before others with a testimony of complete wholeness.

Always expect the best with Jesus, not the worst.

In this scripture the word ‘whole’ according to the Strong’s Concordance originates from the Greek word hugies (hoog-ee-ace) which basically means to be healthy and well.

Having Jesus as the cornerstone of our foundation fills us with a faith that we are going to be healthy and well in this next season.

2 Timothy 1:7 “For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind.”

Sometimes faith is as simple as a light being turned on in your heart.
Where there was once darkness there is now light.
Where there was once deadness there is now life.
Where there was once apathy there is now energy.
Where there was once fear there is now faith.

Personal Story:
Lady who I was praying for got a revelation that her sickness was illegal according to what the bible says.

2. SALVATION

Acts‬ 4:11-12 ‬
11 “This is the ‘stone which was rejected by you builders, which has become the chief cornerstone.’
12 Nor is there salvation in any other, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved.”

Having Jesus as the cornerstone of our foundation fills us with a faith that our eternal salvation is secure for eternity.

No one in the history of the world has been as fiercely and passionately rejected by so many people from every generation as much as Jesus has been rejected.

And yet He still offers Himself as the chief cornerstone to bring salvation for all those who once rejected Him.

On the flip side of that no one in the history of the world has been as fiercely and passionately accepted by so many people from every generation as much as Jesus has been accepted.

One way or another the name of Jesus has caused more passionate rejection and passionate acceptance than any other person that has ever walked the earth.

Why is that?
Jesus wasn’t a war criminal; He was actually the Prince of Peace!
He never raised a natural army to politically overthrow a king and yet He was the King of kings.
He never physically hurt or killed anyone; He actually willingly surrendered Himself to be physically hurt and killed by others whilst doing nothing wrong.

The reason why people either passionately reject Jesus or passionately accept Jesus is because He claimed to be God.

So if you accept Jesus, you accept the truth that He is God and wants to be the Lord or Leader of your life. That then means that we have to relinquish the leadership of ourselves and surrender to the leadership of Jesus.

This is a free will decision that only you can make for yourself, no one can do it for you. But if you would trust your life in the hands of Jesus, He will never leave you or forsake you and He is the only way to salvation.

I believe at this time in the history of the world with all the upheaval that is going on, multitudes and multitudes of people who once passionately rejected Jesus are going to start passionately accepting Him.

The stone which was once rejected is going to become the chief cornerstone of their lives.

3. CONFIDENCE

Acts‬ 4:13 “Now when they saw the boldness of Peter and John, and perceived that they were uneducated and untrained men, they marvelled. And they realized that they had been with Jesus.”‬

Untrained men stood before trained men and amazed them with the boldness and confidence that they showed.

The only conclusion that the trained men could come up with was that they had been with Jesus.

How much have you been with Jesus this past week?

There is a supernatural confidence that will be infused into your life as you spend time deep within your heart with Jesus, which may not even make sense at times in the natural to those around you, but you will know that your foundation is strong and secure.

Having Jesus as the cornerstone of our foundation fills us with a faith that gives us a confidence in our future as we put our trust in our unchanging God and not in the uncertainty of the ever-changing world around us.

Personal Testimony: (Praying for my Dad after he passed away in 2009).
– It did not pan out the way I would have liked it to, but I kept my confidence in God through it all.
– Because my confidence was not dependant on the result, my confidence was dependant on my foundation.
– Sometimes life doesn’t work out exactly to our pre-conceived plans, however our confidence must not be subject to what happens around us, our confidence must be subject to what God is doing within us.

Where do you get your confidence from?

Does your confidence increase when the national news is good and decrease when it is bad?
Or does your confidence come from the foundation of Jesus as the chief cornerstone within you.

The Apostle Paul encourages the Philippian church that he is confident with the work God is doing within them:

Philippians 1:6 “Being confident of this very thing, that He who has begun a good work in you will complete it until the day of Jesus Christ.”

In Conclusion

When Jesus is truly the cornerstone of your foundation in life you can walk with great strength by faith in these three areas: ‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬

1. WHOLENESS

2. SALVATION

3. CONFIDENCE 

As we close I want you to remember these three things in this next season:

With Jesus at the centre, we encourage City Church to:


1. Support yourself by staying connected online and keeping physically, mentally and spiritually healthy.

2. Support each other with daily encouragement and regular connection through phone and social media.
3. Support the church by uplifting your pastors and leaders in prayer and continuing to give your tithes and offerings to build God’s Kingdom.