The Cornerstone

The Cornerstone

JESUS IS THE CORNERSTONE is the message of the song "We Are God's People". The cornerstone is the most important stone or brick in a building--therefore, God's whole plan for history, His whole plan for His eternal kingdom, hinges upon Jesus' silent victory on the cross. Because of that victory (that in earthly terms, first looked like defeat), Jesus' cross became like a signpost pointing out the only way into the city of God. His victory is like a capstone to the city's entire structure, and His victory is the cornerstone upon which is built the foundation for the city's floor.

"The stone the builders rejected has become the capstone; the LORD has done this, and it is marvelous in our eyes. This is the day the LORD has made; let us rejoice and be glad in it." (Psalm 118:22-24; cf. Luke 20:17)

His glory was in the silent victory He achieved simply by remaining Who He is--by proving the unbeatable superiority of God's own principles--that perfect righteousness that is fulfilled by perfect mercy. He overcame with that glory, and thus won the greatest victory of all time. Because of that, He is the Hero of history.

Even His name, "Jesus" (the Greek form of the Jewish name "Joshua") indicated that He was to be a unique warrior--a Savior. He endured what at first looked like defeat, but in fact was a victory won not only for Himself, but also one gained on His people's behalf.

His achievement was the most significant event of our time. He wrote His history, and ours, for all those who seek and find Him and base their lives totally on the rock-solid foundation stone of His life and His principles. As He said: "What good will it be for a man if he gains the whole world, yet forfeits His soul? Or what can a man give in exchange for his soul? For the Son of Man is going to come in his Father's glory with his angels, and then he will reward each person according to what he has done." (Matthew 16:26-27)

But--

Now this troubled world ignored God's great plan

and people turned to their enemy instead.

They defied the Lord and Creator of man

and trusted subtle lies the enemy said.

God watched this sinful world with grieving eyes,

and He let Jesus pay the price

for deeds done as dark as the nighttime skies:

The penalty was paid by the only One who knew no vice.

*****

Yet, one day in the future, Jesus will come back and stop

Satan's forces. Then, justice will fill the land.

Jesus needs no man to declare who or what He was and is. Regardless of whether any of us acknowledge Him, the facts of His life are still there, still existing, real and absolute. He needs no accolades from us. He doesn't need our praises, for He is His own best historian. Yet He wants us to know Him, for to know Him is to know truth. He enjoys and rejoices in our thoughts, our lives, and our praise, as long as we share His goals and live our lives in unison with His, in a union of shared values. Then are we truly His people, the ones for whom He was born one day, as the angel said: Peace and good will for those men who find favor in His eyes.

He is the author of history. Only He fully knows the full facts of this true story. As actors acting within a certain point in the plot line of history--within a certain scene in the script--we cannot see history's whole plot line. All we know about the past is what God in the Bible and others before us have chosen to record about it. (Of course, any record written by humans is affected by the beliefs and motivations of the humans writing it, and may or may not correspond to the true history as it actually unfolded in time and space--the true history that God sees, and which only He knows. This history can never be changed, regardless of what anyone says about it or regardless of any attempts to change it. In fact, it may be said that only those who fear the truth are the ones who aim to "rewrite" history--as if history could be rewritten. But the only thing that can be rewritten is words--and regardless of what postmodernism says, mere words cannot create reality.)

As one poem states:

He sits there mighty, the King of kings,

holding each atom and knowing all things....

*****

...and Jesus Christ will forever reign

in justice and mercy,

as Lord of lords and King of kings.

The Restoration of all things:

that's God's plan.

"The eyes of the LORD are everywhere,

keeping watch on the wicked and the good." (Proverbs 15:3)

The most accurate history book in the universe is God's Book of Life--the one He will open at Judgment Day--as well as all the other books He has written (the "chronicles of Heaven"). (See Revelation 20:11-15.) The names written in His books are time's actors in God's true story, and they will meet each other at the conclusion of God's story that is history. Only when God opens all His books will the full, true story of history be told--by God, the Great Historian.

"'The God who made the world and everything in it is the Lord of heaven and earth and does not live in temples built by hands. And he is not served by human hands, as if he needed anything, because he himself gives all men life and breath and everything else. From one man he made every nation of men, that they should inhabit the whole earth; and he determined the times set for them and the exact places where they should live. God did this so that men would seek him and perhaps reach out for him and find him, though he is not far from each one of us. 'For in him we live and move and have our being.' As some of your own poets have said, 'We are his offspring.' Therefore since we are God's offspring, we should not think that the divine being is like gold or silver or stone--an image made by man's design and skill. In the past God overlooked such ignorance, but now he commands all people everywhere to repent. For he has set a day when he will judge the world with justice by the man he has appointed.'" (Acts 17:24-31)

"The wrath of God is being revealed from heaven against all the godlessness and wickedness of men who suppress the truth by their wickedness, since what may be known about God is plain to them. For since the creation of the world God's invisible qualities--his eternal power and divine nature--have been clearly seen, being understood from what has been made, so that men are without excuse." (Romans 1:18-20)

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