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 love of God is a major part of “the Revelation of Jesus Christ” (1:1), and this love is far stronger than the hatred of Satan. As we saw yesterday, Satan’s schemes cannot undo the plans of God. The Apostle John was imprisoned on “the isle that is called Patmos, for the word of God, and for the testimony of Jesus Christ” (1:9). Jailed for preaching the good news of everlasting deliverance – that outcome for the elderly apostle does not seem fair. Physical freedom is a good thing, of course; the miraculous release of the Apostle Peter from prison in Acts 12 is a fine example. However, John experienced something better: a visit from the Eternal King, reassuring John of eternal matters, giving him an eternal message to share with the Church. Satan seemed to have the upper hand in John’s life, but he did not. He is “the prince of this world”, but he is not the King! “Now shall the prince of this world be cast out” (John 12:31). Does Satan appear to have the upper hand in our lives? I John 4:4 is unequivocal: “Greater is He [God the Holy Spirit] that is in you, than he that is in the world [Satan].” Truly the love of Jesus overcomes the hatred of Satan.