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By Abraham Eli
This study was first taught on November 8, 2020
Topic: The Rejected Stone
(use the audio to study)
Background
Last week, we saw what may likely occur when your witness of and for Christ is effective:
 It challenges, confronts, confounds, and crushes lies, falsehoos, deception, etc.
 It exposes, unravels, and makes bare false theology, false religion, etc.
 It opens the eyes of people to the grace and goodness of God in bringing salvation to mankind.
For those who seek to continue to perpetrates lies, falsehood, false theology, false religion, deception, etc., their goal is to silence both the witness and their testimomy, lest they be found to be what they are false! To achieve this, they use threats, incarceration, physical assault, judicial punishment, and even death.
This notwithstanding, there is some positive possibility, and these are the salvation of souls and further opportunity to bear witness to more people, particularly, those you would not otherwise have had access to.
At the end of the day, we must be aware of these possibilities and be prepared for both the positive and negative. And thus, we must make the best of every opportunity to witness for it might be our last and only chance to witness to such an audience!
Scripture Text(s)
Acts 4:1-22
Over the next weeks we shall glean <strong>Acts 4:1-22</strong> so that we can highlight some important issues. Today, we shall take a look at Peter and John’s witness to the Sanhedrin (<strong><em>v.8-12</em></strong>)
Ancient builders cut stones for their building projects, including the foundation. Sometimes whilst they are laying the cut stones, they encounter a stone with a size that they don’t like, so they set it aside. This set aside stone may become an obstruction or even a stone on which they stumble; hence, they would cast it away from the site. But then when they get to finishing the building project/foundation, they discover that they need that piece of stone that they had discarded or thrown away. Such a stone is then sort after, as it becomes a most useful piece without which the building cannot stand. Such is the stone that the builders rejected, which has now become the chief cornerstone!
Pslam 118:22-23; Acts 7:20-35; Matthew 21:42-44; 1 Corinthians 1:20-30; Isaiah 28:16; Ephesians 2:18-22; 1 Peter 2:4-8; Isaiah 53:2ff; John 8:34-36; 1:11; 2 Peter 2:1-3; Philippians 3:17-20.
Conclusion
<strong>Romans 10:2-4; Hebrews 3:17—4:11</strong>
Jesus Christ is the rejected stone. It is the builders who rejected Him—those who should be building the lives of the believers in Christ. Yet for the building, He is crucial. Indeed, if we are obedient to the Lord Jesus Christ, we are invariably accepting of Him, but where we are disobedient, we reject Him.
We must, therefore, be careful not to follow in the steps of Israel of old and indeed, many false teachers and false prophets today, whose belly is their god. We must not be like the Israel in the wilderness who hardened their hearts against God and could not enter into His rest. Indeed, there is a rest for the children of God—let us be diligent to enter into that rest through faith and obedience to Christ and His word.
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