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 love of God is a crucial aspect of “the Revelation of Jesus Christ” (1:1). He has “loved us” (1:4), and this love accounts for this revelation. Furthermore, this love of Jesus is specifically directed to His Church. Seven individual churches in first-century Asia Minor not only are recipients of this last book of the Bible but also are singled out for commendation and exhortation. Like us, these Christians were trying to live godly in a predominantly pagan culture. We can learn from their strengths and weaknesses; like them, we are to be faithful and, when necessary, to repent. For example, Revelation 2:7 says to the church at Ephesus and also to us, “He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches; ‘To him that overcometh will I give to eat of the tree of life, which is in the midst of the paradise of God.’” Note that this message is to all of “the churches”; it is not limited to just one time or location. Yes, heaven is “the paradise of God,” and we want to be there! How can we be certain that we are overcomers? I John 5:4-5 is clear: “For [whosoever] is born of God overcometh the world: and this is the victory that overcometh the world, even our faith. Who is he that overcometh the world, but he that believeth that Jesus is the Son of God?” Like the believers in Jesus Christ in first-century Ephesus, we need to enter into the specific saving love that He offers to all. May each one of us know Him as Savior.