What Are You Building Your Life Upon?

This Chapel message was originally shared on September 23, 2026, and is based on Acts 4:7-12.

When I read Acts 4:7-12 and think about Jesus as the cornerstone, I can’t help but think about a season in my life when I was building on something other than Christ.

My Story

I was 22, in love, and my life felt mapped out. Graduate college, get married, build a family, and pursue overseas missions.

The summer after I graduated college, I interned in Guatemala for three months with an organization called Students International. I had the best time of my life and felt like I was living my purpose—using my gifts, skills, and knowledge to serve the Lord and build His Kingdom.

But after returning from Guatemala, my three-and-a-half-year relationship ended. And suddenly, I was faced with a reality I hadn’t fully recognized: Although I trusted Christ with my eternity, I wasn’t trusting Him with my day-to-day. I had been building my life on a human relationship, finding my identity, security, and worth in this person. And when that relationship ended, it felt like my world was crumbling. It was the death of a dream—a life I thought was God’s best for me.

But this relationship was never meant to be the cornerstone of my life. It was never intended to provide what only Christ can give.

So I want to ask you a question: What are you building your life upon?

The Context of Acts 4

The passage we’re focusing on today is a continuation of what happened after the healing of the lame man in Acts 3. Peter and John encountered this man at the temple, and in the name of Jesus, he was healed. They began proclaiming Christ to the people who had witnessed the miracle. But when the priests, the captain of the temple, and the Sadducees heard Peter and John preaching and proclaiming the resurrection from the dead, they were greatly annoyed. So, they arrested Peter and John and put them in custody overnight.

The next morning, Peter and John stood before the Sanhedrin—the Jewish governing council and high court. They asked Peter and John: “By what power or by what name did you do this?”

In other words: Who gave you this authority? Where does this power come from?

Peter, empowered by the Holy Spirit, doesn’t point to himself or to his own abilities. He points directly to Jesus. “Let it be known to all of you...that by the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth...by him this man is standing before you well.”

Peter makes it clear: The power isn’t ours. The authority isn’t ours. The glory isn’t ours. It belongs to Jesus.

The Cornerstone

Peter then quotes Psalm 118: “This Jesus is the stone that was rejected by you, the builders, which has become the cornerstone.”

A cornerstone was an important foundational stone in a building. It helped establish the alignment and stability of the entire structure.

Peter is making a powerful claim: Jesus is the cornerstone. The One who was rejected is the One God established. The One who was crucified is the One God raised from the dead. And the One the religious leaders sought to destroy is the One upon whom God’s people are called to build their lives.

Jesus is not simply a part of the foundation. He is the cornerstone.

Jesus Is Our Foundation

Peter reminds us: “There is salvation in no one else.” Salvation is through Jesus Christ alone.

Jesus says in John 14:6, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.” Jesus sacrificed Himself to pay the price for our sins. We deserve death, but He gives us life. He gives us Himself.

When we place our faith in Him, He becomes our cornerstone.

If you have not placed your faith in Christ, know that Jesus can be your cornerstone today. And if you have questions or you’re processing what that means, our staff and faculty would love to process that with you.

If you have already declared Jesus as your cornerstone, there’s another question for us:

What does it look like to turn to Christ as your firm foundation every single day?

Because Jesus isn’t only the cornerstone of our salvation. He is the foundation of our everyday lives.

Good Things Can Become Ultimate Things

When our lives are built upon Christ, we are reminded of the wise man Jesus talks about in Matthew 7. The rain fell. The floods came. The wind blew. But the house built on the rock stood firm.

It can be easy to shift our gaze from Jesus when we get caught up in the roles, responsibilities, and tasks of everyday life. These are good things in our lives. But when good things become ultimate things, they can become idols. We start building our lives on things that were never meant to be our foundation. And when the storms come, we discover that what we built our lives on can’t hold us.

Maybe you’re building your life on the approval of other people—what your friends think of you, whether you feel like you belong, or how you’re perceived on social media.

Maybe it’s your grades, your achievements, your future career, a relationship, your appearance, or having everything go according to your plan.

None of these things are necessarily bad in themselves, but when we look to them for our ultimate security, identity, and worth, they begin to take a place in our lives that belongs to Christ.

What might be competing with Christ as your cornerstone?

The gospel isn’t about “doing more” or “being better”—it’s an invitation to rest in Jesus’ finished work on the cross. When storms come in our lives, He is the cornerstone who keeps us grounded. We cannot look to ourselves or to other people to provide this security.

Assessing Our Cornerstone

Currently, God is helping me see what can sometimes compete with Christ as my cornerstone. I love school. I’ve always enjoyed the process of learning. This is one of the reasons why I appreciate working at FPU—the opportunity to walk alongside all of you in your educational journey.

This semester, I started a graduate program at FPU, and although it’s so much fun being a student again, I’ve noticed a shadow side to my love for school. I can begin rearranging my priorities. I’m tempted to put homework before family time. I can find myself lying in bed thinking about everything I need to accomplish at home, at work, and at school.

And before I know it, I’m building my days around achievement, approval, and the sense of control I feel when I can manage my responsibilities.

Last week, I could feel the stress in my body and the overwhelm in my brain. And God met me in that. He reminded me that He is my true cornerstone. He’s the reason I can love my family. He’s the reason I can steward the work He’s given me as a career counselor. He’s the reason I can engage in lifelong learning. Everything in my life is ultimately for His glory. He is the foundation on which my life rests.

When stress arises and responsibilities feel heavy, He draws my gaze back to Him. Because salvation is found in no one else.

Not in being an amazing wife and mom. Not in being a great daughter, friend, or coworker. Not in being a successful career counselor or in getting good grades. Not in accomplishing everything on my to-do list. And no, not even in winning Last Sunbird Standing :)

My salvation is in Jesus. And because my salvation is secure in Him, I don’t have to look elsewhere for my identity, security, or worth. I can allow Him to inform how I approach each day.

Come to Jesus

Jesus invites us to come to Him. To rest in Him. To work with Him and to walk with Him.

So as we close, I invite you to consider your life right now:

What is currently competing with Christ as your cornerstone?

What has been dominating your thoughts, your attention, or your sense of security?

Bring that honestly before the Lord. You can come to Him as you are and be honest with Him, confessing the things that may be competing with Christ as your cornerstone. This is not meant to lead to shame or guilt, but to confession and repentance, which leads to life (2 Cor. 7:10).

God’s Word reminds us, “If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness” (1 John 1:9).

As you sit with Him, ask:

“Jesus, what does it look like for You to be my cornerstone today?”

“How can I rest in Your salvation?”

Salvation isn’t found in what we accomplish, who approves of us, or what we can control.

Salvation is found in Jesus. He is our cornerstone. And we can build our lives on Him.