Acts 4:11-12
This Jesus is the stone that was rejected by you builders, which has become the cornerstone. “There is salvation in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given to people by which we must be saved.”
Dear Heavenly Father,
You sent your Son to be the cornerstone for the church. On him, you built the rest of the foundation and the church. Incredibly, the world does not see Jesus’ perfection. How throughout his life judged an eccentric, calling himself your Son, forgiving sins, healing people, and driving out demons. After all, how could this man, the son of Mary, be anything but corrupt because of her actions? Those around Jesus must have wondered who his father was; she had gone to visit her relative, Elizabeth, in the hill county, was away from Joseph, and then returned to Nazareth pregnant. They rejected Jesus from the start, not believing Jesus came for them to fulfill the Old Testament prophecies, including Isaiah’s words that you would, “give them a sign, a virgin would conceive, and give birth to a son and name him Immanuel.” (Isaiah 7:14)
Jesus is still rejected by many today. How can this man forgive our sins? He forgave them because he is both true God and man in one body. Because he is both God and man, he took on the God-sized problem of our sins. If an ordinary man could live a perfect life, they would not pay for anyone else; they would simply meet the minimum requirement to enter heaven on their own. So you sent your Son to suffer for us. He lived the perfect life in our place and credited all who believed in him with his righteousness. Then he went to the cross for all our sins. Thank you for sending Jesus to forgive us our sins. It is there that your love is displayed; Jesus suffered for those who were enemies against him. “Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they are doing?” Those words ring loud in our ears, so we, too, pray for your forgiveness that comes only through Jesus.
As Luke wrote, there is no other way to salvation but through Jesus. Lord, we thank you for sending us your Son, so we have the assurance of eternal life and the hope of salvation that comes only through Jesus. We pray that we will all be able to share this good news of the rejected cornerstone with others who do not believe in you. Please send your Spirit to them that they will come to know you, and they, too, will have eternal life. Amen.
Written through Pastor Roger Emmons
Just because many reject something does not take away from its truthfulness. At one time, the world rejected the notion that our planet was round. Does it make our globe any flatter? Jesus is the cornerstone, and the church is built on his forgiveness and love. Do not reject this truth.