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 17:14 has crucial applications for the Christian today: “These shall make war with the Lamb, and the Lamb shall overcome them; for He is Lord of lords, and King of kings; and they that are with Him are called, and chosen, and faithful.” As we considered yesterday, our power to “overcome” results from being “with Him” – that is, trusting in Jesus, God the Son, as Savior and being indwelt and empowered by God the Holy Spirit (I Corinthians 6:19). With this real spiritual power comes a real sense of responsibility and accountability. Recently, what was likely the largest church in our area shut down because of the alleged financial impropriety of the leadership. I Peter 5:3 commands leaders to behave in a responsible manner: “neither as being lords over God’s heritage, but being ensamples to the flock.” This imperative follows the specific mention of “filthy lucre” – dishonest gain – in verse 2. There are no degrees of honesty: either we are honest or not. Financial integrity is a sign of genuine spiritual power in the lives of Christians, both leaders and laity. It should be noted that a lust for “filthy lucre” is often accompanied by shaky doctrine; with cults, this covetousness is always joined with heretical teaching. Let us be above reproach within God’s Church, providing a detailed accounting of each penny. Let us also as individuals be trustworthy in all of our fiduciary transactions. We need to be examples to each other and to a corrupt world – a world that will increase its corruption under the Antichrist’s brief reign.