I got to listen to the latest collab between Tommee Profitt and Phil Wickham for an Easter album from Tommee and ho-ly moly! If you're familiar with the old hymn "He Arose", you've never heard it like this!
I definitely recommend you take a few minutes to listen.
And you know, this got me to thinking. Sometimes - and I'm guilty of this too - sometimes we take Jesus' gentleness and kindness towards us and make that the entirety of His personality and leave it at that.
Sometimes I think we forget how mighty Jesus actually is because we read about Jesus telling stories and spending time with His friends and letting kids approach Him and spend time with Him. We read about Jesus having compassion and not raising a fist except to flip tables and reprimand for turning the Temple into a "den of thieves" and that's it.
I think we sometimes mistake Jesus' temperament in the New Testament to equate to...weakness. Or maybe it's just me, I dunno. My brain can't figure out God, and honestly that's a really good thing.
But here's the thing. Jesus, our King, is not a weak king. He is not a passive king. He is gentle and compassionate and totally approachable and loving and kind. But He is not weak.
Jesus is a mighty warrior King.
What's ironic about this is that is exactly what the Israelites wanted Him to be when He came here the first time. He is that, but reflecting that part of Him when He was here the first time was not the mission. It will be the next time He comes though.
Anyway, look at Ephesians 6! Look at the armor we're called to wear! It's not our armor, that's God's. That's Jesus's armor. As His Image Bearers, we are also His Armor Bearers too.
Therefore, put on every piece of God’s armor so you will be able to resist the enemy in the time of evil. Then after the battle you will still be standing firm. Stand your ground, putting on the belt of truth and the body armor of God’s righteousness. For shoes, put on the peace that comes from the Good News so that you will be fully prepared. In addition to all of these, hold up the shield of faith to stop the fiery arrows of the devil. Put on salvation as your helmet, and take the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God. - Ephesians 6:13-17 NLT, emphasis mine
And if you look in Isaiah 59, we see that this very armor is what God puts on Himself.
He was amazed to see that no one intervened to help the oppressed. So He Himself stepped in to save them with His strong arm, and His justice sustained Him. He put on righteousness as His body armor and placed the helmet of salvation on His head. He clothed himself with a robe of vengeance and wrapped Himself in a cloak of divine passion. - Isaiah 59:16-17 NLT, emphasis mine
He Himself stepped in to save them. Jesus Himself stepped in to rescue us, and His triumph over His enemies is one of a mighty warrior King.
What other God would do that for any one of us?
What do you need rescue from today? Your sins? Our King can do that. Your circumstances? Our King can do that. Your past? Your perceived future? Your fears? Your disappointments? Your anger? Your addictions? Your mind? Your heart? Your attitude? Your [fill in the blank]?
Jesus can save you from those things.
He will not force His rescue on you. We do have the free will to choose if we want Him to step in and save us or not. But spoiler alert? You can't save yourself. The only one who can? Jesus. All you have to do is ask Him, and He Himself - our mighty warrior King who has defeated death and darkness and sin - will step in to save you.
The Lord your God is with you, the Mighty Warrior who saves. He will take great delight in you; in His love He will no longer rebuke you, but will rejoice over you with singing. - Zephaniah 3:17 NIV
