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.)
We spent last week considering some of the implications of John 8:28-32, where we found that Jesus sets His people free. In practical terms, from Galatians 5:13, we cannot use our freedom as an excuse to sin but rather should seek to help others. The thoughtful Christian will always be alert to the possibility of selfishness rather than service. Furthermore, we must apply to all issues the dual principles of our avoidance of sinful self-interest and of our willing service to others. For example, some would try to frame the destruction of the most vulnerable of human life in terms of freedom of choice. We see, first of all, that such a decision is contrary to God’s revealed will (Exodus 20:13 – the general principle; 21:22-23 – the specific application relating to the unborn) and is thus sin, using “liberty for an occasion to the flesh.” Second, such a decision cannot “serve one another,” for it destroys the other. When we carefully apply God’s Word to issues, we will know where we should stand. “If the Son shall make you free, ye shall be free indeed” (John 8:36).