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 trumpets the glorious truth that Jesus sets His people free. Correctly applied, then, as we saw yesterday, the Christian should always stand on the side of freedom; as II Corinthians 3:17b says, “Where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is liberty.” On the contrary, a worldly worldview always tends to bondage. Some have expressed their frustration with how easily and even eagerly many Americans have recently given up their “unalienable rights” as enumerated by the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution of the United States. The thinking Christian should not be surprised. II Thessalonians 2:1-13 makes it clear that the majority will welcome a despotic world leader, ”that man of sin…the son of perdition [destruction]” (verse 3), who is also called “that wicked [lawless one]” (verse 8). This Antichrist (I John 2:18) will rise to power after “a falling away first” (verse 3). This is a rebellion, an apostasy against God – and it comes from within the professing Church. Churchgoers with no saving faith, people who like church but think that they are not sinners, folks who might casually call themselves Christians – these are the ones who will be at the forefront of ushering in the tyrannical reign of Satan’s man. This sobering – even shocking – prophetic reality stands in stark contrast to the eternal freedom found through faith in Jesus Christ. “If the Son therefore shall make you free, ye shall be free indeed” (John 8:36).