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 forgiveness that Jesus offers is not a light, casual thing, for it was purchased at the greatest of costs in the darkness of the Cross. If we accept this forgiveness, we move from darkness and death to light and life. The example of Peter is blessedly helpful. As Jesus had predicted (Luke 22:34), Peter had denied Him. In John 21:15-19, Jesus forgives Peter and restores him to fellowship and leadership. Certainly Peter had sinned, and he felt terrible about his failure. I remember a young lady many years ago who was about to baptized but began experiencing tremendous guilt about things she had done before becoming a Christian. My wife and I were able to show her the difference between guilt and conviction. Guilt is a tool of Satan that leads us into gloom and doom; conviction belongs to God the Holy Spirit and leads us into light and life. I John 1:5-7 gives us a picture of this full forgiveness found in Jesus Christ. We are forgiven and “have fellowship one with another” – that is, with God. We are no longer separated; like Peter, we can “follow” Jesus (John 21:19).