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 giving nature of our Savior God is emphasized in Revelation 22:21: “The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you all. Amen.” This undeserved favor from our good God is found in many ways throughout the Bible and throughout the book of Revelation; it is even found in His judgment. As we have studied numerous times, this judgment is justice, righteous and holy justice. For example, in Revelation 6:15-17, we read of people in the Tribulation who know that “the wrath of the Lamb” is upon them. They know, but they still choose to continue to rebel. Theologians use the Latin term via negativa (the negative way) to describe this aspect of God’s grace. It means that some people stop sinning only when they observe or experience the sad outcome of bad behavior. This Biblical revelation of justice is thus another example of great grace. Remember, the actions of Revelation 6:15-17 are yet future. We all have the opportunity to learn now from this prophesied hardness of heart. Even at that specific time, given that the Gospel will still be powerfully preached, individuals will be able to see the fulfillment of prophecy and call, not upon “the mountains, and rocks,” but upon the Savior, Jesus Christ.