Built on the Powerful Rock: Jesus Is Our Cornerstone

Jesus is our cornerstone—the solid foundation on which everything lasting and true is built. In Matthew 21:42, Jesus points to Himself as “the stone the builders rejected” that God has made the cornerstone. What others dismissed, God exalted. What the world saw as weakness, God made strength. Every part of our faith, our hope, and our purpose rests on Him. Without the cornerstone, the structure collapses—but with Christ in His rightful place, everything holds together, steady and unshakable. In this week’s Light on Life podcast, we tackle the subject of how we are ‘Built on the Powerful Rock: Jesus as Our Cornerstone.’

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You can view a basic transcript of this podcast at the bottom of this section.

Accept the Challenge

Each week’s podcast contains a call to action. The Word of God will not produce in your life unless you put into operation.
This weeks call is:

Is Your Life Up to Code?

The Builder’s Code: 7 Essentials for Building a Life That Grows the Kingdom

1. Acknowledge Your Right Foundation — Jesus Is the Cornerstone

“For no one can lay a foundation other than that which is laid, which is Jesus Christ.” (1 Corinthians 3:11)
Everything begins and stands on Jesus—the Cornerstone the world rejected but God exalted. A life without Him at the base will not stand

2. Build with Skill, Not Guesswork

“Like a skilled master builder I laid a foundation.” (1 Corinthians 3:10)
Skill means specialized knowledge (sophia). Growth takes intentional learning and practiced obedience—not trial and error.

3. Grow Beyond Milk — Become Skilled in the Word

“Everyone who lives on milk is unskilled in the word of righteousness.” (Hebrews 5:13)
Move from milk to maturity. Deepen your grasp of Scripture so you can teach others and stand firm under pressure.

4. Use Quality Materials — Give God Your Best

“By wisdom a house is built, and by understanding it is established.” (Proverbs 24:3–4)
Don’t build with cheap substitutes (opinions, trends, emotions). Build with truth, faith, love, integrity, and reverence.

5. Build Up to Code — Work That Endures Testing

“Each one take care how he builds.” (1 Corinthians 3:10)
God’s standard is excellence. When storms or fire test your structure, only workmanship rooted in His Word remains.

6. Build with Honor — Like Jabez, Rise Above Labels

“Jabez was more honorable than his brothers.” (1 Chronicles 4:9)
It’s not what they call you—it’s what you answer to. Honor God through growth, prayer, and a life that expands His Kingdom.

7. Pray for Enlargement — Expand Your Borders

“Oh that You would bless me and enlarge my border.” (1 Chr 4:10)
Ask God for open doors for the Word—opportunities to influence, serve, and build others on the same Rock.

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Remember: A life up to code is: Christ-centered, Word-skilled, Excellently built, Spirit-led, Honor-minded, Growth-oriented, and Kingdom-expanding.

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Each week’s podcast also contains a question designed to encourage testimony. Testimony is vital to a believers life. We overcome by it (Rev. 12:11).
This week’s question:

Question: How is God Steadying You? Share a 2–3 sentence testimony to encourage others this week.

Remember: Growth in God isn’t a solo journey — we build one another up when we share what He’s doing in our lives.

Drop your thoughts in the comments section below.

Episode Resources:

On Faith and Trusting God.

We are currently teaching in the book of First Corinthians. You can click on the links below to listen to some of these podcasts.

About Emery

Emery committed his life to the Lord Jesus Christ over 40 years ago and has served as both a full-time pastor and an itinerant minister. Both he and his wife Sharon of 37 years emphasize personal growth and development through the Word of God. The ministry of the Holy Spirit is both the focus and the hallmark of their mission. Read more about them here.

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Podcast Notes

Well, again, welcome.
Let’s pray.

Father God, thank you for your goodness and your mercy, and thank you that the plan of God is certain and sure because you set it on a solid foundation with Jesus as the blessed Cornerstone. We thank you today that in an unsteady world, we can find peace, tranquility, wholeness, completeness, happiness, health, prosperity, safety, security and soundness of mind. How exciting this is! You are a wonderful God. We give you all the praise, glory and honor for this in the Name of Jesus, Amen.

Jesus Is Our Cornestone: Review

We are in First Corinthians three.

1 Corinthians 3:6–11 (ESV) — 6 I planted, Apollos watered, but God gave the growth. 7 So neither he who plants nor he who waters is anything, but only God who gives the growth. 8 He who plants and he who waters are one, and each will receive his wages according to his labor. 9 For we are God’s fellow workers. You are God’s field, God’s building. 10 According to the grace of God given to me, like a skilled master builder I laid a foundation, and someone else is building upon it. Let each one take care how he builds upon it. 11 For no one can lay a foundation other than that which is laid, which is Jesus Christ.

In last week’s podcast, we looked at Why Growth Is a God Thing You Should Engage.
That’s you — that’s me — that’s everybody.
God set everything to grow.
You know we have a puppy now in the house.
We got him at eight weeks of age and here we are at 11 weeks and I have already had to adjust his keenel three times to give him more space.
He’s gotten long.
Growth is not just physical.
Let’s take that same puppy
We are watching him grow.
He’s a super bundle of energy and curiosity! But as he grows, he’s not just get bigger; he is also learning to follow commands, sit, stay, and place.
Growing in God is much like this—it’s not just about age but about learning to listen to His voice and respond to the promptings and urgings of your heart.
Paul talked about in verse six and seven planting, watering and God giving the increase.
He’s referencing agricultural growth.

An Example of Ineffective Agricultural Growth

And with that thought, here is the Illustration of the Day.
Sharon has been trying to grow tomatoes this past year.
She planted them.
Sharon watered them, gave them sunlight, and even spoke so sweetly to them.
They didn’t grow as expected.
They grew some but not much.
Maybe we didn’t fertilize enough.
Maybe we didn’t give it the nourshment that it needed to flourish.
Spiritual growth is alot like that.
You need the right stuff — you need God’s Word!
Without His Word, you won’t produce much.
That’s why we go verse by verse.
We don’t want our growth to be clipped and non-productive.

Jesus is Our Cornerstone But He Was Rejected by Men

Paul goes on to say in verse nine: For we are God’s fellow workers. You are God’s field, God’s building.
So now Paul takes the subject of growth from agriculture to building.
He’s still talking about the same thing.
He’s talking about believers in Jesus going from milk to maturity.
He is still talking about God giving growth.
Now we are talking about buildings.
And when we talk about structures in reference to growth, we are talking about how a big building is.
We’re talking about how wide it is — how tall it is.
And that’s how get to Jesus is our cornerstone because every building needs a foundation that has one.
And this foundation needs to remain strong and intact as the building materials are added on top of it throughout all conditions and all time.

Psalm 118:22 (ESV) — 22 The stone that the builders rejected has become the cornerstone.

Ephesians two adds to this.

Ephesians 2:19–20 (ESV) — 19 So then you are no longer strangers and aliens, but you are fellow citizens with the saints and members of the household of God, 20 built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Christ Jesus himself being the cornerstone,

So the foundation of this building — this Kingdom of God building that’s growing is the apostles of the New Testament and the prophets of both the Old and the New.
You may here someone say ‘Jesus is our foundation.’
He is in the sense that He is principle stone, the cornerstone of the foundation.
Now you have to understand how words are used.
When you say something generally, you mean one thing.
When you say the same thing specifically, you mean something.
For example, you may have heard some exclaim that the sunrise was a miracle.
That’s a general use of the word ‘miracle.’
But if we’re going to be specific, a miracle is God’s divine intervention in the ordinary course of nature.
A sunrise wouldn’t qualify because sunrises are ordinary courses of nature.
So yes, Jesus is the foundation of our lives, He is the cornerstone of the foundation of the Church but there are a lot of other stones that make up the foundation.
It’s not Jesus alone.

Jesus Our Cornerstone: Skill in Building

The foundation consists of the apostles and the prophets.
That’s lots of other stones.
That means you should read in your Bible about the apostles of the New Testament.
There are not just 12 of them — there is 26 of them.
The ones you may not know about are Matthias who replaced Judas, Paul, Barnabas, James, Apollos, Epaproditus, Timothy and Silvanus, Andrionicus and a female apostle named Junia.
There are two unamed apostles in 2 Corinthians 8:23.
And of course Jesus is the Apostle and High Priest of our conferssion — that’s Hebrews 3:1 and that brings us to 26 apostles in the New Testament.
You should read about all of them — they are part of your foundation.
Then there are the prophets in the Old and New Testament.
You should read about them — they are part of your foundation as well.
And yes, there are prophets today.
It’s one of the five ministry offices mentioned in Ephesians.

Ephesians 4:11–13 (ESV) — 11 And he gave the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, the shepherds and teachers, 12 to equip the saints for the work of ministry, for building up the body of Christ, 13 until we all attain to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to mature manhood, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ,

So again, the apostles and prophets are stones in the foundation.
Now listen to Paul — listen to this milk to maturity piece.

According to the grace of God given to me, like a skilled master builder I laid a foundation, and someone else is building upon it. Let each one take care of how he builds upon it.

So, how does one become an effective builder of the Kingdom?
How do we grow this building, called the Church, of which Jesus is the cornerstone?
Number one: it takes skill.
The Greek word ‘skill’ is the one we want to look at and with that thought, here is the Definition of the Day.
The Greek word ‘skilled’ is the word sophia and it means knowing how to do something in a skillful manner.
The New Testament translates it as clever, skillful, or experienced.¹
Another Greek lexicon states that ‘skill’ is specialized knowledge.
How does one become an apostle, a wise master builder?
It takes skill; it takes knowledge; it takes knowing how to do something.

Jesus Our Cornerstone: What Hebrews Says About Skill

Skill and knowledge take application.
We’re still talking growth now.
Listen to these words about skill from the book of Hebrews.

Hebrews 5:12–13 (ESV) — 12 For though by this time you ought to be teachers, you need someone to teach you again the basic principles of the oracles of God. You need milk, not solid food, 13 for everyone who lives on milk is unskilled in the word of righteousness, since he is a child.

So, to aspire to any ministry office, one can not be a person who is on milk.
We got some baby ministers in the church.

1 Timothy 3:1–2 (ESV) — 1 The saying is trustworthy: If anyone aspires to the office of overseer, he desires a noble task. 2 Therefore an overseer must be…

Overseer is a pastor.
Here, Paul gives a complete list of what a pastor must be: above reproach, the husband of one wife, sober-minded, self-controlled, respectable, hospitable, able to teach… *He goes on for several verses giving the qualifications.
You know, some people have the title of pastor, but they don’t qualify according to the Bible.
They don’t have sufficient skills.
These men and women haven’t had enough experience with the Word.
So, what should I get out of this.
God didn’t call me to be an apostle, prophet or a pastor?
What should we get out of this?
We should understand that God’s requirement of skill in the Word is not just for ministry offices.
Pastors were not the intended audience for Hebrews 5:12–13.
That passage was for the Church!
Well, that still gets us back to the question: how do I help build the Church of which Jesus is the cornerstone?

Jesus Is Our Cornerstone: Building on the Foundation

You find that in the next Greek word that we are going to look at, the word building.
Paul said, ‘Like a skilled master builder I laid a foundation, and someone else is building on it.’
That someone else is you.
Paul compares himself to a building contractor.
Think about that.
You know there was a contractor was known for his unorthodox methods.
One day, instead of using blueprints, this contractor brought in a pizza box to sketch his plans! The crew chuckled as he explained.

Building a house is like crafting a pizza—the right layers matter!

Yes, it matters how you build a pizza.
You must have the dough, that’s the base — that’s the foundation.
Who can have pizza without dough?
Think about your life.
Your base is critical.
God took care of it for you.
He called qualified and equipped apostles and prophets and He did it for your benefit!
But them come all the toppings!
You can’t have pizza without pizza without toppings at least sauce and cheese.
It matters how you build a pizza.
It matters how you build the Kingdom on the foundation of the apsotles and prophets, Jesus being the chief cornerstone.

Proverbs 24:3–4 (ESV) — 3 By wisdom a house is built, and by understanding it is established; 4 by knowledge the rooms are filled with all precious and pleasant riches.

Your work for God needs to be up to code.
Your work for God must be “up to code.”
Think about what happens when buildings are not built up to code.
Think earthquakes.
The buildings, properly constucted, and built to code are able to withstand the shocks that from the earth beneath.
These building stand.
They make it.
Other buildings not built to code you hear about on the news.

Jesus Our Cornerstone: Use the Right Kind of Materials to Build

Our work for God, as we add on top of the building has to be solid.
No cheap materials.
This is our God.
He deserves our best.
We should look at the Greek word for building.
The word means to to build something on something that’s already built²
Now, do we just build any old way?
Did God craft and build you that way?
Or are you, as the Psalmist declared, ‘fearfully’ and ‘wonderfully’ made?

Psalm 139:14 (ESV) — 14 I praise you, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made. Wonderful are your works; my soul knows it very well.

You know we quote that or read that and we don’t understand what we are reading.
The Hebrew word ‘fearfully’ is a word used for reverence.
You were made in a reverent fashion; in a respectful manner.
He didn’t just throw you together.
He took time and pondered you and thought about.
You were made in a reverant manner and you were made to reverance.
The Kingdom of God is built on respect.
The scripture also says you were wonderfully made.
The Hebrew word translated ‘wonderfully’ means wondrously to be different, striking, remarkable—outside of the power of human comprehension.³
Now if God built you in this manner with reverance as He put His hands to you, if He built you in a striking and remarkable way, shouldn’t we build on His foundation the same way?
Doesn’t He deserve your best effort?
You know I found the following in one of my commentaries and wit that thought here is the Quote of the Day.

You know it’s possible to present to others a version of Christianity which is weak and watered down—a one-sided view which has stressed some things too much and others too little, and in which things have got out of balance; a warped perspective in which even the greatest matters have emerged distorted.[ 4. William Barclay, The Letters to the Corinthians, 3rd ed., The New Daily Study Bible (Louisville, KY; London: Westminster John Knox Press, 2002), 39.]

Jesus deserves better than watered-down efforts from His brethren.

Jesus Our Cornerstone: Growth and a Man Named Jabez

We’re going to talk next week about some of the materials that we can build with.
But for now, I’m going to take you back to the Old Testament and introduce you to a man that was concerned about expansion.
Maybe you may or may not have heard of; his name was Jabez.
You find this man in First Chronicles.
For those who have a Bible reading plan, you know that the first nine chapters of First Chronicles is tough reading.
TYou’re reading Jewish geneology records in these nine chapter: a dungeon’s worth of genealogical records that encompass almost 1100 names.
Man, it is hard to get through.
Check it out.
Try staying engaged while reading a thousand names you’re not even sure you’re pronouncing correctly.
All because, you are trying to stay true to your Bible reading plan.
So, here you go.
In what seems like an endless number of minutes reading this person begetting this person and that person begetting the next at the half-way mark, a flash of relief comes right out of the blue.
In First Chronicles four.

1 Chronicles 4:9–10 (ESV) — 9 Jabez was more honorable than his brothers; and his mother called his name Jabez, saying, “Because I bore him in pain.” 10 Jabez called upon the God of Israel, saying, “Oh that you would bless me and enlarge my border, and that your hand might be with me, and that you would keep me from harm so that it might not bring me pain!” And God granted what he asked.

Jesus Is Our Cornerstone: An Honorable Man Seeks Kingdom Expansion

Amid the names, we meet a man, an honorable man.
A man who sought kingdom expansion.
Now, I mean little ‘k’ kingdom on this.
This honorable man is looking for the enlargement of his border.
The Hebrew word ‘honorable’ means just that — to honor.
Scholars also translate it in places as ‘heavy.’
Jabez rose to a ‘heavy’ place among his brethren despite the fact that his mother hamstrung him with a heavy burden.
Mon nameed him Jabez which in Hebrew means to grieve or be in sorrow.
His mother named him that because of the pain she experienced having him.
But Jabez grew despite his name.
He grew above his name and rose to become a heavy among men.
That principle shows you one thing: it’s not what they call you; it’s what you answer to.

Jesus Is Our Cornerstone and Refusing the Status Quo

You may be like Jabez.
Maybe you have had an unfavorable start in life, but you can grow beyond that to the point of being a heavy — a heavyweight if you would among men.
So, we hear the word ‘honorable’ used in connection with this man Jabez but we also hear a prayer unto the Most High God from this heavyweight, honorable man, a prayer for increase.

“Oh, that you would bless me and enlarge my border, and that your hand might be with me, and that you would keep me from harm so that it might not bring me pain!”

We can learn some things about building the Kingdom from Jabez.
It’s right to ask God to enlarge your border.
Notice, Jabez was unwilling to remain in his current state.
He refused to accept the status quo.
Jabez refused to be bound by the limitations of his upbringing.
The best way to rise above your limitations is to call upon the Father God in heaven who has no limits.

Isaiah 40:28 (ESV) — 28 Have you not known? Have you not heard? The LORD is the everlasting God, the Creator of the ends of the earth. He does not faint or grow weary; his understanding is unsearchable.

God has no limits.
Hookup with Him in prayer — that’s what Jabez did.

Jesus Is Our Cornerston and the Four Parts of Jabez’s Prayer in Light of the New Testament

The prayer that Jabez prayed includes four parts.
One, a prayer for blessing.
Two, a prayer for enlarging borders.
Three, a prayer that God would be with him.
Last, a prayer to be preserved from harm.
We must understand this prayer from its Old Testament perspective.
Jabez prayed this prayer to God under the Old Covenant.
Covenant matters.
Since the Old Covenant, there’s been a change — Jesus was that change.
He ushered in a new and better covenant.

Hebrews 8:6 (ESV) — 6 But as it is, Christ has obtained a ministry that is as much more excellent than the old as the covenant he mediates is better, since it is enacted on better promises.

Look at the parts of the prayer of Jabez under the light of the New Covenant.

First, Jabez asked God for Blessing

Jabez asked God for a blessing.

Ephesians 1:3 (ESV) — 3 Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in Christ with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places,

In the New Covenant, God already gave you every spiritual blessing available.
You don’t have to ask God for it.
Just receive the blessing and walk in the light of that.

Second, Jabez asked God for Enlarged Borders

Second, Jabez asked the Lord for enlarged borders.
I’ll come back to this one and cover it in a minute.

Third, Jabez asked God To be With Him

Third, Jabez prayed a prayer that God would be with Him.
If you prayed this prayer under the New Testament, you would be operating in unbelief.
Why? Because Jesus said…

Matthew 28:18–20 (ESV) — 18 And Jesus came and said to them, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. 19 Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, 20 teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.

So, a Jesus follower doesn’t have to pray for God to be with him because Jesus already said, “I am with you always.”
You see, ‘God with you’ is the very essence of the gospel.
Recall the prophecy of Isaiah from the first chapter of Matthew.

Matthew 1:23 (ESV) — 23 “Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and they shall call his name Immanuel,” (which means, God with us).

Jabez prayed to God that He would be with him.
A Jesus follower already has that as an ‘every moment of everyday reality.’
There’s no need to give voice to this request.
So the first part and the third part of this prayer are no longer vaild prayer requests under the New Testament.
To pray these prayers means operating in unbelief.
It means you don’t believe you’ve been blessed with every spiritual blessing in heavenly places — you don’t believe that God is with you always to the end of the age.

Third, Jabez asked God for Preservation

The fourth thing Jabez prayed was to be preserved from harm.
This prayer along with the second request, enlarge my borders, are the parts of the prayer of Jabez that you can pray under the New Covenant.
These two requests are gospel-focused requests.

Jesus Is Our Cornerstone and Enlarging My Borders

Let’s go back and talk about enlarging one’s borders.
Enlarging your borders is about the growth aspect of the Kingdom of God.
I know that’s in your heart.

Acts 6:7 (ESV) — 7 And the word of God continued to increase, and the number of the disciples multiplied greatly in Jerusalem, and a great many of the priests became obedient to the faith.

This verse in Acts speaks of the Word increasing.
Here it is again using the picture of an ‘open door.’

Colossians 4:3 (ESV) — 3 At the same time, pray also for us, that God may open to us a door for the word, to declare the mystery of Christ, on account of which I am in prison.

Opening a door for the Word is enlarging the Kingdom.
Pray that God would open a door for the Word.
This is a prayer that I pray for you when I get ready to record a podcast.

Lord, open the eyes and understanding of your people. Help them see and know you in the Word today.

Acts 14:27 (ESV) — 27 And when they arrived and gathered the church together, they declared all that God had done with them, and how he had opened a door of faith to the Gentiles.

You can pray that God would open a door for the Word to your neighbors, to your city, to your state and go on up the chain.
God is a God of the Open Door.
There’s a video linked here that you can watch on this very subject: It’s called ‘Jesus, The Open Door.’

Let’s pray again. Father God, thank you for enlarging our borders. Open to us a door of utterance, that the Word of God may go forward — that the Kingdom of God may expand. We ask you for that in Jesus’ Name, Amen.

In next week’s podcast, we are going to be talking the soundness of the materials that a Jesus follower builds with.
“If today helped you steady your steps, follow the podcast.
It will help you build consistently.
Send this teaching to a friend who needs the Cornerstone today.
Built on the Powerful Foundation: Jesus Is Our Cornerstone.
You guys have a great God week, and we will see you next time for another edition of Light On Life.

References:
_________

William Arndt et al., A Greek-English Lexicon of the New Testament and Other Early Christian Literature (Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 2000), 935. ↩
William Arndt et al., A Greek-English Lexicon of the New Testament and Other Early Christian Literature (Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 2000), 387. ↩
Nancy deClaissé-Walford, Rolf A. Jacobson, and Beth LaNeel Tanner, “The Songs of the Ascents: Psalms,” in The Book of Psalms, ed. E. J. Young, R. K. Harrison, and Robert L. Hubbard Jr., The New International Commentary on the Old Testament (Grand Rapids, MI; Cambridge, U.K.: William B. Eerdmans Publishing Company, 2014), 965. ↩

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Built on the Powerful Rock: Jesus Is Our Cornerstone

Podcast: Light on Life Season Twelve Episode Thirty-Seven

by Emery Horvath

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