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) proclaims the holiness of our Savior God: “Holy, holy, holy, Lord God Almighty, [Who] was, and is, and is to come” (Revelation 4:8). So absolute is this holiness that it transforms each believer. As we studied Saturday, we can now have fellowship with Him because He has given His holiness to us. Romans 7 makes it clear that we are not yet perfect, for the conflict between our inherited sin nature and our imparted new nature continues to rage (and the sin nature wins when we rage!). Of course, our condition is much improved, for before this granting of the divine nature to us in the person and presence of God the Holy Spirit, we would inevitably give in to temptation. Now, as a Gospel song rejoices, “I don’t have to do that anymore.” We are no longer controlled by the darkness of sin. Isaiah is a good example. “Woe is me” (6:5 – the Living Bible’s “My doom is sealed” is evocative) was his accurate assessment of his position before the Holy God. “I am undone,” he added (or as the New International Version says, “I am ruined”). However, Isaiah was forgiven, cleansed, and empowered for service. His personal darkness was lifted and replaced by the light of the Savior. God’s imparted holiness is thus both passive and active. It is given to us (we do not earn it), but we must be willing participants in its transformative power. Then, we are actively involved in living a different kind of life, a life that is pleasing to our Lord and that leads others into the light of His holiness.