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.)
Even though we are unlikely to know what Jesus will do in and with our lives today, we are certain that He will love us (Romans 5:8, 10; 8:1, 38-39), will be faithful to us (Romans 8:14-17), will strengthen us in love, faithfulness, and prayer (Romans 8:26-27); and will give us definite purpose (Romans 8:28). Undergirding these glories is the gift of the certainty of eternity. We have been considering Romans 8:29: “For whom He did foreknow, He also did predestinate to be conformed to the image of His Son, that He might be the firstborn among many brethren.” Verse 30 completes this thought: “Moreover whom He did predestinate, them He also called: and whom He called, them He also justified: and whom He justified, them He also glorified.” Often when we think about predestination, we get confused by or argue about the pre- instead of rejoicing in the destination! Jesus has decreed a promised result for those who trust in Him, and His sovereign will is unalterable. Paul asks in verse 35, “Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword?” His answer comes quickly in verse 37: “Nay, in all these things we are more than conquerors through Him that loved us.” If we were merely survivors, we would still be secure in Jesus. Being more than survivors would further reinforce our confidence in Christ. “Conquerors” – that is an even stronger statement. However, “we are more than conquerors” because of Christ the Conqueror. In simple terms, Jesus will keep on keeping us today … and each day unto eternity.