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 hubristic hatred of Satan and the demons (Revelation 9) must be met with the humble heartiness of the Christian: “Stand therefore, having your loins girt about with truth, and having on the breastplate of righteousness” (Ephesians 6:14). This righteousness of God is both imputed and imparted to us. Thus, we can begin to make correct choices daily. Three factors are especially crucial to the effectiveness of this “breastplate of righteousness.” First, as we have studied throughout last week and also this week, we must continue to grow in our understanding of what the Scripture says on this subject. Second, we need to appreciate the power of God the Holy Spirit within each believer: “For the kingdom of God is not meat and drink; but righteousness, and peace, and joy in the Holy Ghost” (Romans 14:17). The Scripture is plain: “Greater is He [the Spirit] that is in you, than he [Satan] that is in the world” (I John 4:4b). Third, we must willingly and prayerfully submit ourselves to God: “Yield yourselves unto God” (Romans 6:13b). The words of a familiar hymn are a helpful reminder to each one of us:
“Stand up, stand up for Jesus,
Stand in His strength alone;
The arm of flesh will fail you –
Ye dare not trust your own.
Put on the gospel armor,
Each piece put on with prayer;
Where duty calls, or danger,
Be never wanting there.”