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 Revelation of Jesus Christ” (1:1) tells us that “the third woe cometh quickly” (11:14b). The response is startling, even stunning (like my youthful trophy wife): “And the seventh angel sounded; and there were great voices in heaven, saying, ‘The kingdoms of this world are become the kingdoms of our Lord, and of His Christ; and He shall reign for ever and ever.’ And the four and twenty elders, which sat before God on their seats, fell upon their faces, and worshiped God” (verses 15-16). The announcement of God’s soon fulfillment of His promises means sad destruction for many (who remain petulantly “angry” – verse 18). However, this demonstration of God’s majesty causes thankful, thoughtful worship in heaven. The thinking Christian recognized that worship of God is exactly what is needed in the hardest of times. I think of the ruminations of Asaph in Psalm 73. Especially troubling to him was “the prosperity of the wicked” (verse 3). It was only when he “went into the sanctuary of God” (verse 17) that he began to understand and then to worship: “Whom have I in heaven but Thee? And there is none upon earth that I desire beside Thee” (verse 25). Our Savior God is worthy of our worship, and He will graciously employ that worship to strengthen our sometimes feeble faith.