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 21:8 is a powerful call to repentance: “But the fearful, and unbelieving, and the abominable, and murderers, and whoremongers, and sorcerers, and idolaters, and all liars, shall have their part in the lake which burneth with fire and brimstone: which is the second death.” The specific inclusion of “all liars” reminds us that Satan’s crumbling kingdom is built on falsehood. Jesus said of Satan in John 8:44b, “There is no truth in him. When he speaketh a lie, he speaketh of his own, for he is a liar, and the father of it.” Satan’s greatest lie is that the Antichrist is Jesus Christ: it is “the lie” (the literal translation of “a lie” in II Thessalonians 2:11). The Antichrist is “that man of sin” (II Thessalonians 2:3), whereas Christ came “to take away our sins; and in Him is no sin” (I John 3:5). The all-inclusive invitation of John 14:6 is based in part on the intrinsically truthful nature of Jesus: “I am the Way, the Truth, and the Life: no man cometh unto the Father but by Me.” Let us purpose, then, to be people of truth, first by being sure of salvation through faith in “the Truth” and then by “speaking the truth in love” (Ephesians 4:15a). Remember, Satan is entirely comfortable in an atmosphere of persistent prevarication. God’s people should be extraordinarily uncomfortable there.