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.)
John 8:28-32 is unequivocal: if we trust in Jesus for salvation, He sets us free. This is no casual work, for it necessitated Jesus’ death on the Cross (verse 28). In fact, this grand work of redemption is quite involved. For example, John 6:44 states, “No man can come to me, except the Father [Who] hath sent me draw him, and I will raise him up at the last day.” The meaning is clear: without this divine attraction, we would remain in our bondage and would never even seek God’s freedom. John 16:13a says, “Howbeit when He, the Spirit of truth, is come, He will guide you into all truth.” This drawing by God the Holy Spirit to the freedom of the truth of Jesus as Savior is echoed in John 8:32: “Ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.” The truth of this available freedom is found throughout God’s Word, and “If ye continue in My word, then are ye My disciples indeed” (verse 31). Note the order: we must continue in God’s Word to know the truth; then that truth will set us free. This order cannot be changed in regards to salvation and to discipleship. “If the Son therefore shall make you free, ye shall be free indeed” (John 8:36).