SCRIPTURE: Psalm 118:14-24 (ESV)
DATE: 4-20-25
He is risen! He is risen indeed! As always it’s a joy to be with all of you this weekend at Gateway Church. And there’s one thing I want you to know — and this is true if you’re worshiping with us for the first time — if you’re joining us at our North Main Campus or are with our friends in Bucyrus — I want you to know that God loves you and that I love you too.
SERIES INTRO
We’re concluding our Easter series today. Last Sunday — Palm Sunday — we remembered Jesus entering Jerusalem and all that will happen during the final week leading up to his death on a cross and his resurrection three days later. Then on Thursday evening — we had our Maundy Thursday service. A tradition in the Christian church where we remember the night when Jesus ate the Passover meal with his disciples and how — during the meal — gave new meaning to the bread and the cup. No longer a remembrance of the death of the lamb during the Israelites rescue from the land of Egypt — it’s now a meal that points to the death of Jesus and the sacrifice he made in giving his body and blood to rescue his people from God’s wrath.
A little Holy Week trivia for you — if you’ve ever wondered what the word maundy means — we call it Maundy Thursday after all — the word maundy comes from the latin word for “command” as Maundy Thursday not only celebrates the Lord’s Supper, but also the new command that Jesus gave to his disciples: to love one another — a love he displayed by washing their feet before his greatest act of love — his sacrifice on the cross.
Which leads us to today — Easter Sunday — also known as Resurrection Sunday — when we remember and celebrate that death did not defeat Jesus — no — Jesus defeated death for the tomb was empty on Sunday — and is still empty today.
Our text — for this Easter — includes some verses we looked at last week from Psalm 118. Today we’ll be looking at verses 14 to 24 from Psalm 118. There we read…
Psalm 118:14–24 ESV
14 The Lord is my strength and my song; he has become my salvation. 15 Glad songs of salvation are in the tents of the righteous: “The right hand of the Lord does valiantly, 16 the right hand of the Lord exalts, the right hand of the Lord does valiantly!” 17 I shall not die, but I shall live, and recount the deeds of the Lord. 18 The Lord has disciplined me severely, but he has not given me over to death. 19 Open to me the gates of righteousness, that I may enter through them and give thanks to the Lord. 20 This is the gate of the Lord; the righteous shall enter through it. 21 I thank you that you have answered me and have become my salvation. 22 The stone that the builders rejected has become the cornerstone. 23 This is the Lord’s doing; it is marvelous in our eyes. 24 This is the day that the Lord has made; let us rejoice and be glad in it.
As we learned last week — this psalm was an important one for the Jewish people during the week of Passover — the week where they remembered and celebrated their rescue out of Egypt which took place under Moses’ leadership. This is the same week that Jesus entered Jerusalem which led to his crucifixion.
Last week — however — we focused on the shout of the people as Jesus was entering Jerusalem. If you remember — the people were quoting from Psalm 118 when they shouted…
Matthew 21:9 ESV
9 “Hosanna to the Son of David! Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord! Hosanna in the highest!”
Again — that’s old news for us — we saw that last week. The reason why we’re revisiting Psalm 118 is because — not only does it have strong connections to Jesus’ entrance into Jerusalem — but it also has equally strong connections to Jesus’ death and resurrection. We’ll look at two and then an implication for all of us.
THE ONE WHO WAS REJECTED
The first connection we’ll look at is to Jesus’ death. In verses 22 and 23 our psalm states…
Psalm 118:22–23 ESV
22 The stone that the builders rejected has become the cornerstone. 23 This is the Lord’s doing; it is marvelous in our eyes.
Some strange language — to be sure. A stone — that’s rejected by a group of builders — who apparently think the stone isn’t worth using — actually is the most important stone in the building project — the cornerstone. But — this rejection of the stone — is God’s plan. Again — strange, vague language.
Let’s see if we can clear this up.
Earlier in his ministry, Jesus told this parable — a parable is a story that’s meant to teach an important lesson.
Mark 12:1–12 NLT
1 Then Jesus began teaching them with stories: “A man planted a vineyard. He built a wall around it, dug a pit for pressing out the grape juice, and built a lookout tower. Then he leased the vineyard to tenant farmers and moved to another country. 2 At the time of the grape harvest, he sent one of his servants to collect his share of the crop. 3 But the farmers grabbed the servant, beat him up, and sent him back empty-handed. 4 The owner then sent another servant, but they insulted him and beat him over the head. 5 The next servant he sent was killed. Others he sent were either beaten or killed, 6 until there was only one left—his son whom he loved dearly. The owner finally sent him, thinking, ‘Surely they will respect my son.’ 7 “But the tenant farmers said to one another, ‘Here comes the heir to this estate. Let’s kill him and get the estate for ourselves!’ 8 So they grabbed him and murdered him and threw his body out of the vineyard. 9 “What do you suppose the owner of the vineyard will do?” Jesus asked. “I’ll tell you—he will come and kill those farmers and lease the vineyard to others. 10 Didn’t you ever read this in the Scriptures? ‘The stone that the builders rejected has now become the cornerstone. 11 This is the Lord’s doing, and it is wonderful to see.’” 12 The religious leaders wanted to arrest Jesus because they realized he was telling the story against them—they were the wicked farmers. But they were afraid of the crowd, so they left him and went away.
You don’t have to know the Bible very well to pick up on — if the religious leaders are the wicked farmers in the story — and given that he quotes our verses from Psalm 118 — which we know are connected to his death — somewhere in this story Jesus must have included himself. And — again — it doesn’t take an advanced degree in the Bible to put two and two together and see that he’s the son in the story — the heir of the master who the wicked servants murder.
Jesus predicted ahead of time the rejection he would experience. For he’s the Son of God and — just like the son of the master in the parable — Jesus would be rejected, and schemed against, and — ultimately — killed. Yet — according to Jesus — this is all the LORD’s doing. Meaning — this is the will of God. Jesus being rejected and killed — though rightfully horrific — in some way is “wonderful to see.” How so?
IS THE ONE WHO LIVES
We find the answer to our question in verse 17 of our psalm.
Psalm 118:17 ESV
17 I shall not die, but I shall live, and recount the deeds of the Lord.
Though murdered on a cross and buried in a borrowed grave — three days later the tomb was empty — for Jesus was not dead — but alive. Just as our psalm says — the One rejected and killed is the One whom death could not keep in the grave.
As you heard read earlier — from Acts — the apostle Peter said…
Acts 10:39–41 ESV
39 And we are witnesses of all that he did both in the country of the Jews and in Jerusalem. They put him to death by hanging him on a tree, 40 but God raised him on the third day and made him to appear, 41 not to all the people but to us who had been chosen by God as witnesses, who ate and drank with him after he rose from the dead.
Or — as we read in Luke’s gospel — after his resurrection — while walking with some men on a road leading to the village of Emmaus…
Luke 24:25–27 ESV
25 He (Jesus) said to them, “O foolish ones, and slow of heart to believe all that the prophets have spoken! 26 Was it not necessary that the Christ should suffer these things and enter into his glory?” 27 And beginning with Moses and all the Prophets, he interpreted to them in all the Scriptures the things concerning himself.
Jesus recounted for them — not only the deeds of the LORD — but all of the ways the Old Testament was pointing to Jesus and the hope now offered to the world because of what he accomplished in his death and resurrection.
WHAT SONG ARE YOU SINGING?
And what this news of hope is meant to do is stir a reason in each of us to rejoice and sing and be glad because Jesus — the One who was rejected — is now the Lord of our salvation. Beginning in verse 14 of our psalm we read…
Psalm 118:14–16 ESV
14 The Lord is my strength and my song; he has become my salvation. 15 Glad songs of salvation are in the tents of the righteous: “The right hand of the Lord does valiantly, 16 the right hand of the Lord exalts, the right hand of the Lord does valiantly!”
I love the picture these verses are meant to bring to our mind. Joyful and joy-filled songs being heard sung from the tents — the homes and houses — of those who are right with God. Songs that proclaim the mighty strength of our saving God. The victory that he’s secured. That our God has triumphed over our enemy. Because the Lord is my strength. He’s my salvation. He’s the song that I sing.
A song that declares there’s nothing better in life than our God. For the One who knows everything about us — our shortcomings, flaws, failures, sin and rebellious ways — is the God who chooses to call us his sons and daughters — even his friends.
A song that praises the One who turns seasons of mourning into reasons for dancing. Who makes beauty out of ashes. Who takes our shame and turns it into glory. And — he does so — because he’s also the God who took a grave — and turned what was a place meant for death — and turned it into a garden — a place where new life would begin for all who turn to the death-defeating Savior.
And it’s this new life that we celebrate and sing about and are to live out — not just on Easter — but all our days — because this new life was made possible because our Savior — Jesus — is not dead — but is alive. Let’s pray
PRAYER
Heavenly Father, thank you for life — new life. For knowing everything about us — our failures, flaws, shortcomings, sin, and rebellion — and choosing to love us anyway. What a God you are.
Holy Spirit, I’m sure there are many listening to my voice who are in a season of mourning, of ashes, of shame — of what feels like the grave. Would you do the work that only you can do and turn their mourning into dancing, make beauty out of the ashes, transform their shame into radiant glory, turn their grave into a life-giving garden.
And — Jesus — all of this is possible because you gave your life in love for us. Though we rejected you — you didn’t reject us. Though we crucified you — you did not allow our lust for death to be the final answer — instead you defeated death and our lust for it — and offer us life — new life — everlasting life. For this we thank you, and praise you, and sing songs of salvation in response to all that you’ve done for us. In your name we pray. Amen.