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 9 records the warfare waged by Satan and the demons. Ephesians 6:10-18 provides insight into the Christian’s response: we are to “put on the whole armour of God” (verse 11), including “the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God” (verse 17). As we have been studying from Matthew 4:11, the stand of Jesus against Satan’s temptations is the perfect example for us. In verses 8 and 9, “the devil taketh Him up into an exceeding high mountain and sheweth Him all the Kingdoms of the world, and the glory of them; and saith unto Him, “All these things will I give Thee, if Thou wilt fall down and worship me.’” Here, the central sin of Satan is revealed: he wants to take the place of God. The devil cares for himself only; he is not fit to follow. Jesus’ powerful repudiation of this temptation is our model: “Get thee hence, Satan; for it is written, ‘Thou shalt worship the Lord thy God, and Him only shall thou serve’” (verse 10). Our Savior God merits our full devotion, for He has demonstrated the fullness of His care for us by dying on the Cross. His quotation of Deuteronomy 6:13 and 10:20 (once again, everyone’s favorite book of the Bible) directs our attention to what is truly important: serving the Savior Who has first served us and ever continues to serve. Armed with “the sword of the Spirit,” we can better serve Him and others even as we are standing up to Satan.