Jaw-dropping Jewels about Jesus
Rarely does Jesus, God the Son, do exactly what we expect of Him. It seems odd that He so frequently surprises us, given that He never changes. Hebrews 13:8 makes this absolute statement: “Jesus the same yesterday, and today, and forever.” Still, though He is blessedly consistent in His goodness, Jesus does unforeseen things. Even when He does what is expected, He does not always do it in the way that we anticipate. Let us join with Jesus on a jaw-dropping journey. (I will be using this opening paragraph for each of the brief messages in this series. The following material will change daily.)
Revelation 7:1-8 is a powerful and precise passage that reminds us that Jesus keeps His promises. Verse 3 speaks of the sealing of “the servants of our God in their foreheads.” Verse 4 clarifies that “there were sealed an hundred and forty and four thousand of all the tribes of Israel.” Verses 5-8 then list the specific tribal groups within Israel. Since all of the other more than two dozen such lists clearly refer to Israel, this one must as well. Paul’s message in Romans 9-11 is about the question of God’s promises to Israel. Romans 11:1a is clear: “Hath God cast away His people? God forbid.” This is a strong, absolute statement. Later, in Romans 11:26a, Paul emphatically declares, “And so all Israel shall be saved.” The One Who performs this grand work is called “the Deliverer” (Romans 11:26b), Jesus Christ. He will fulfill His specific promises to these specific people, for He is trustworthy.