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.)
“The prayers of all saints” ascending “before the throne” of God (Revelation 8:3-4) include pleadings for forgiveness. David, “a man after [God’s] own heart” (I Samuel 13:14), sinned greatly and was guilty of both adultery and murder (II Samuel 11:1-27). His moral failure is a cautionary case for all of us. These sins (as well as the faithless census we studied yesterday) had negative results for David, his family, and the entire nation of Israel. In fact, the civil war long after David’s death can be traced directly to his transgressions. All of these hurtful outcomes fall into the category of what the fine preacher W. Graham Scruggie called “the sad consequences of forgiven sin.” Yes, forgiven sin can have troubling effects, for everything that we do – for good or for bad – impacts others. However, unforgiven sin has the ultimate eternal consequence – everlasting separation from God. Forgiveness, though, is readily available through faith in Jesus Christ. The extreme example of David is a powerful reminder that God will forgive us if we ask Him.