Notes
Simon Peter answered, “You are the Messiah, the Son of the living God.”
Jesus replied, “You are blessed, Simon son of John, because my Father in heaven has revealed this to you. You did not learn this from any human being. Now I say to you that you are Peter (which means ‘rock’), and upon this rock I will build my church, and all the powers of hell will not conquer it. And I will give you the keys of the Kingdom of Heaven. Whatever you forbid on earth will be forbidden in heaven, and whatever you permit on earth will be permitted in heaven.”
Matthew 16:16-19
Together, we are his house, built on the foundation of the apostles and the prophets. And the cornerstone is Christ Jesus himself. We are carefully joined together in him, becoming a holy temple for the Lord.
Ephesians 2:20-21
Jesus is building a people - the Church - that lives with purpose and accomplishes great things for God’s Kingdom. Belonging to His family means something important; He brings value and purpose into our lives.
God reveals to us His great power and unconditional love. He provides to us what we need to use our gifts in the world. And He also builds us into the Church. The cornerstone of the Church is Jesus.
God’s purpose in all this was to use the church to display his wisdom in its rich variety to all the unseen rulers and authorities in the heavenly places. This was his eternal plan, which he carried out through Christ Jesus our Lord.
Because of Christ and our faith in him, we can now come boldly and confidently into God’s presence.
Ephesians 3:10-12
The cornerstone is a very important part of a building. It determines the alignment of the rest of the building so that it is constructed properly. Like living stones, Jesus brings us into alignment so that we can accomplish our God-given purpose. We all come from different families, places, and backgrounds, but with our faith and trust placed in Him, we can build our lives on Jesus. He brings us together despite our differences so that His wisdom is played through us.
I remember your genuine faith, for you share the faith that first filled your grandmother Lois and your mother, Eunice. And I know that same faith continues strong in you. This is why I remind you to fan into flames the spiritual gift God gave you when I laid my hands on you. For God has not given us a spirit of fear and timidity, but of power, love, and self-discipline.
2 Timothy 1:5-7
As we learn to listen to God’s voice and trust Him, our faith becomes unshakable. Have a humble heart with full confidence to be who God made you to be. Don’t let your spirit become obsessed with proving yourself, but be confident in who He says you are.
Jesus as the cornerstone brings stability to our faith as we are living on mission. He is our anchor. Even when we feel surrounded by the enemy, we can rest easy knowing that when we belong to Jesus, nothing can take us away from Him.
Group Questions
- In what ways is Jesus the cornerstone of the Church?
- What does it mean to be brought into alignment with Jesus?
- Who is the Church on display for?
- How does Jesus give us stability in our lives?
Prayer
Thank you for stepping into our lives and giving us a firm foundation to build our lives upon. We want to be people whose lives point back to you.