The Rejected Stone

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Treasuring Christ :: Year 2: The Prophets and Writings

Connecting Church and Home Quarter 3, Week 9 :: The Rejected Stone Treasure Story: Psalm 118 Many songs we hear stick with us for a long time. Some songs that were sung in the 70’s and 80’s are well-known by many teenagers even today. Many times these songs are so widely remembered because of a catchy chorus. Psalm 118 is one of those songs. It is a psalm that was sung at feasts, Passovers, and it was even sung during New Testament times. The core to Psalm 118 is verse 22: “The stone that the builders rejected has become the cornerstone.”

Connect

“Christ is made the sure foundation, Christ the head and cornerstone, Chosen of the Lord and precious, Binding all the church in one; Holy Zion’s help forever, And her confidence alone.” – “Christ Is Made the Sure Foundation,” seventh-century Latin hymn translated by John Mason Neale

When verse 22 was originally written, it was meant to speak of the current predicament of the people of Israel. They were a rejected people by the neighboring countries. Throughout the Old Testament, we see many times when God’s people were rejected. Despite the rejection, God was always with them and remained their firm foundation. Psalm 118 also points to the Messiah who was rejected. Jesus was rejected by his people and yet he emptied himself by taking the form of a servant, humbling himself to the point of death (Philippians 2:6-7). Jesus was the cornerstone that was rejected in order that those who believe in him might become the righteousness of God. Consider the following thoughts as you teach your children the importance of Christ our cornerstone: • A Hymn of the Cornerstone: As parents, we are to be a firm foundation in our children’s lives. As important as our role is in helping our children grow spiritually, Christ’s role is even greater. We have the great pleasure of teaching our children about this cornerstone in Christ. Sing together as a family the hymn entitled “Christ Is Our Cornerstone.” • A Hymn of Christ Being All We Need: Psalm 118 is a song of jubilation. The people are giving thanks to the Lord and rightfully so. Their joy in the Lord is so strong that they have no fear because their faith is in him. With Christ as our cornerstone, our enemies can ultimately have no power over us. We have the opportunity to show our children this truth: while strife may come our way in life, we have nothing to fear because God is our cornerstone and his love endures forever. Sing together as a family the hymn entitled “It is Well with My Soul.”

My Mission As Parent

• We must teach our children what thanksgiving looks like when we worship God. We must constantly show our children that God is good and his love endures forever. • We must teach our children why we should be thankful to God. We should be thankful because God is our refuge. While troubles may come, we have nothing to fear. God is on our side, and man can do nothing to break our relationship with God. Be thankful for the refuge that God provides. • We must teach our children that Christ is our cornerstone. He is our rock and Redeemer. God’s goodness is demonstrated in Jesus who died for our sins and that is all we need.

Prayer Points

• Praise God that he is good and that his love endures forever. • Praise God that he is our refuge. Through him, we are able to live in triumph because of his goodness and love. • Praise Jesus that he came, lived and died so that we might have life in him. Thank the Lord for taking our sins upon himself so that we would be able to have a true relationship with him. All Scripture quotations, unless otherwise indicated, are taken from the HOLY BIBLE, NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION®. NIV®. Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984 by International Bible Society. Used by permission of Zondervan. All rights reserved. Copyright © Providence Baptist Church, 2014. All rights reserved. Permission is granted for reproduction only for the study of Life Bible Study curriculum by a licensed church during the licensed year. No online or other duplication is permitted