Built on the Cornerstone: Embracing Our God-Given Differences

As you come to him, the living stone, who is rejected by humans, but chosen by God and precious to him, you also, like living stones, are being built into a spiritual house. So there's a great oxymoron in that Christ is the living stone, right? Stones aren't alive, but he is the living foundation of what's going on in this world. And this, as you come to him, is this ongoing, not just the moment that you came to him, as you continue. This is much like telling someone, as you breathe and keep on breathing, there will never be a moment that we can't, couldn't, or shouldn't come to him. [00:45:05] (42 seconds)  #LivingStoneFoundation

If you're in Christ, you are much like what God did with Aaron, and what he did with the Levitical priests. He set apart a group of people, a specific group of people, to be different in order to make a difference. And the primary role of a priest was to stand between man and God in order to offer sacrifices on behalf of people because of the sin of the world. [00:48:24] (26 seconds)  #SetApartToServe

We don't have to worry about the pressures of this world collapsing the church. It's never going to happen. What did he tell Peter? Upon this big rock, I will build my church. And the gates of hell will never prevail against it. And he's just telling these people in Turkey who have the oldest building structure ever uncovered is in Turkey. So, he knows they know how to build. And what he's telling them is, you are different because your lives are being built upon that. And here's the good news. You'll never be put to shame. Your life is not coming down. The church is not going to be put to shame. You're not going to be put to shame. You're not going to collapse. [00:53:11] (48 seconds)  #UnshakableChurch

We've got to have this willingness to simply enter into conversations when presented and declare the praises of him who called us out of darkness and into his wonderful life. That's why we're different. Because we have a declaration. [01:07:03] (19 seconds)  #MercyMotivatesWorship

Once, you were nothing. Not a people. But now you are the people of God. Once, you had not received mercy. But now you have. You realize he's talking to us again? Like, this is what God's always wanted. We just read it. It's what God said to Abraham. Read Genesis 12 this week. Read it. Go back to the final message from my summer series. And I can't even remember the name of it. Where all things begin, where it all began. I don't even remember what the name of it is. But it's week 12. Listen to it. It's all about Abraham. And no, that's 11. Week 12. Listen to it. It's all about Abraham. No, that's 11. Week 12 is about Babel or vice versa. I don't know. Just go find it. It's there. Okay? And know the heart of God. And it's even in the garden. If he didn't want people, he wouldn't have grabbed a pile of dirt. God has always wanted a people. And there was a point in time when we were not a people. But now you are the people of God. [01:07:23] (55 seconds)  #FromNothingToSomething

We are something. We went from nothing to something in order to declare everything God has done. We are something in order to declare everything God has done. We are something. We really are in order to declare God's done everything. And you know how you became that something? You chose to. You chose. So how does somebody who's still a nothing become a something? They got to choose. And that's why we got to declare the praises. We got to get over the uncomfortability. [01:09:28] (37 seconds)  #LiveGoodAmongThem

We're not better, we're different. Because we are new creations. In Christ Jesus. We no longer worship our creator as God. We worship him as Father. And if we're no different than anyone else in the world, then what an atrocity it was for God the Father to crush the Lord Jesus Christ for our iniquities. If we could all just be the same, why'd he kill Jesus? But we were made different because we chose to be different so that we could make a difference by declaring the praises of him. [01:10:33] (36 seconds)  #LoveInActionWitness

Live such good lives among, among, among, among, among. We can live a really good life in here on Sunday, but you got six days outside here and you got to live that good life among them. There's got to be a demonstration which often precedes your opportunity for declaration. Live such good lives among the pagans that though they accuse you of doing wrong, they may see your good deeds and glorify God on the day that he visits. [01:13:33] (38 seconds)  #PreparedForMore

We've got to be prepared to see more, more, more. Even better than what the beginning of the world seemed to be. Now, let's do just this. Okay, it's a big job. Let's do this. Let's get to it. Let's get to this! Let's go. Let's go. Let's go. [01:22:46] (18 seconds)