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.)
We return to the implications of Revelation 17:14: “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.” Even during the worst days of the Tribulation, then, Jesus governs. He fulfills prophecy (including Isaiah 9:6-7) in this governance. Does He reign today in this world, specifically in this nation that is beset by a godless and corrupt regime? Emphatically, we must state that Jesus is in control. Paul wrote about the Christian’s obligation to the existing government in Romans 13:1-7. Remember, Paul lived under the brutality of the Roman Empire; yet, writing under the inspiration of God the Holy Spirit, he stated, “Let every soul be subject unto the higher power. For there is no power but of God: the power that be are ordained of God” (verse 1). Paul then provided this personal application: “Whosoever therefore resisteth the power, resisteth the ordinance of God” (verse 2a). Thus, our savior God is in control, and we are to be good citizens because of that fact. The great exception to this rule of subjection to the existing government is Acts 5:29b: “We ought to obey God rather than men.” Because “ought” is a strong word in the original Greek that means “must,” this verse is a commandment. Thus, in both situations – agreement with the government or refusal to sin if so ordered by government – we are acknowledging that Jesus is the ultimate Governor.