Ashamed of Jesus?
Things have changed much in this country in the last 40 years. I now find myself surprised when I hear the name of Jesus mentioned in a public setting. Not only have judges handed out rulings that restrict the mention and exhibition of things pertaining to the Christian faith, but it has also come to be viewed as impolitic, not politically correct, to mention Jesus or to do anything to demonstrate our faith or even refer to it in a group setting where non-Christians are present. We may still decorate around our homes at Christmas if we wish, but not on public property - not anything that acknowledges Jesus.
Open your song books to number 339 - Jesus and Shall It Ever Be
In 1765, Joseph Grigg (1720-1768) of England wrote these wonderful words. They were later been set to several pieces of music and have touched the hearts of people for 240 years.
To introduce the thoughts captured in this song, let us read two scriptures.
Mark 8:38 “For whoever is ashamed of me and of my words in this adulterous and sinful generation, of him will the Son of Man also be ashamed when he comes in the glory of his Father with the holy angels.”
Rom 10:8-9 “But what does it say? "The word is near you, in your mouth and in your heart" (that is, the word of faith that we proclaim); because, if you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.”
Jesus, and shall it ever be
“Jesus, and shall it ever be,
A mortal man, ashamed of Thee?”
Could there ever come a time when I, a mere mortal, will be ashamed
• of the immortal creator and savior of the world,
• who laid aside the glory he had with the Father and
• so that he might pay the ransom for sin,
• taste the temptation that falls upon the human race, and
• become the high priest of all mankind forever?
• who fed the multitudes, healed the sick, raised the dead, and
• wept at the tomb of Lazarus?
• who calmed the sea, who walked on the water?
• inaugurated a new and living way in the very presence of God himself,
• that everyone who believes on Jesus’ name may follow at will, and
• approach the throne of grace, as often and as long as they desire?
Shall it ever be that I will be ashamed of him?
“Ashamed of Thee, whom angels praise,
Whose glory shines through endless days?”
• At whose birth the angels sang, “Glory to God in the highest, and on earth, peace, goodwill toward men.”
• The one of whom angels in John’s vision in heaven said:
“Then I looked, and I heard around the throne and the living creatures and the elders the voice of many angels, numbering myriads of myriads and thousands of thousands, saying with a loud voice, "Worthy is the Lamb who was slain, to receive power and wealth and wisdom and might and honor and glory and blessing!"” Rev 5:11-12
• As the song says, his glory is unending. When he prayed for his disciples before going out to the garden of Gethsemane, he said, “I glorified you on earth, having accomplished the work that you gave me to do. And now, Father, glorify me in your own presence with the glory that I had with you before the world existed.” John 17:4-5 (Jesus was unashamed to take the glory that is rightfully his.)
• In his life on earth he laid his glory aside, as Paul wrote to the Philippians, and “made himself nothing.” Phil 2:7
• The writer to the Hebrews says he was made for a time “lower than the angels.” -“You made him for a little while lower than the angels; you have crowned him with glory and honor, putting everything in subjection under his feet." Now in putting everything in subjection to him, he left nothing outside his control. At present, we do not yet see everything in subjection to him. But we see him who for a little while was made lower than the angels, namely Jesus, crowned with glory and honor because of the suffering of death, so that by the grace of God he might taste death for everyone.” Heb 2:7-9
Will I be ashamed of him?
“Ashamed of Jesus! sooner far
Let evening blush to own a star!”
• It would be more fitting for the evening to be ashamed to fall because in it the brilliance of the stars is seen. Shall evening be ashamed of the stars that light up the night sky, and dazzle us with their beauty, and speak to us of God? The writer of Psalm 19, thought to have been David, wrote, “The heavens declare the glory of God; And the firmament shows His handiwork. Day unto day utters speech, And night unto night reveals knowledge. There is no speech nor language Where their voice is not heard.”
• The voice from the heavens “reveals knowledge” says David, declaring the glory of God
The songwriter says before I should be ashamed of Christ, the evening should be ashamed to bring forth the stars that declare God’s glory.
“He sheds the beams of light divine
O’er this benighted soul of mine.”
American Heritage Dictionary defines benighted:
1. Overtaken by night or darkness.
2. Being in a state of moral or intellectual darkness; unenlightened.
• Over such a soul he sends the rays of divine light, saying, "I am the Light of the world; he who follows Me will not walk in the darkness, but will have the Light of life." Joh 8:12
“Ashamed of Jesus! that dear Friend
On Whom my hopes of Heav’n depend!”
• When many were turning away from Jesus because of the difficulty of some of his teaching, he asked, "Do you want to go away as well?" (68) Simon Peter answered him, "Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life. - Joh 6:67-68
• Act 4:12 And there is salvation in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved."
• Joh 14:5-6 Thomas said to him, "Lord, we do not know where you are going. How can we know the way?" Jesus said to him, "I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.
“No; when I blush, be this my shame,
That I no more revere His Name.”
It is to my shame, and not his, if I do not hold in reverence the name of
• King of kings and Lord of lords, Almighty God, everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.
• The name that is above every name.
• He who God raised from the dead and seated at his right hand in the heavenly places,
• far above all rule and authority and power and dominion, and
• above every name that is named, not only in this age but also in the one to come. Eph 1:21
• To whom all authority is given, both in heaven and on earth. Matt 28:18
We--not he--ought to be the ones who are ashamed if we do not hold his name in awe.
“Ashamed of Jesus! Yes, I may
When I’ve no guilt to wash away”
When is that?
• As the song from the 1950’s says, “until the twelfth of never.”
• The very night of his betrayal, Jesus was alone with his disciples for the last time. Knowing his hour had come, he rose from supper, laid aside his outer garment, tied a towel around him and began to wash the feet of his disciples. He came to Simon Peter, who said to him, "Lord, do you wash my feet?" Jesus answered him, "What I am doing you do not understand now, but afterward you will understand." Peter said to him, "You shall never wash my feet." Jesus answered him, "If I do not wash you, you have no share with me." Simon Peter said to him, "Lord, not my feet only but also my hands and my head!" Joh 13:6-9
It is as unimaginable that a time would ever come that he would have no guilt to be washed away, as that he would ever be ashamed of Jesus.
“No tear to wipe, no good to crave,
No fears to quell, no soul to save.”
• Rev 21:3-4 “And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, "Behold, the dwelling place of God is with man. He will dwell with them, and they will be his people, and God himself will be with them as their God. He will wipe away every tear from their eyes, and death shall be no more, neither shall there be mourning nor crying nor pain anymore, for the former things have passed away.”
• This is John’s vision of the heavenly Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God. I believe the church is a type of heaven itself, the eternal home of the saved, and that many things that can be said of the eternal state of the saved may also be said in a different sense of the saved of the earth. As another song says, there are “No tears in heaven.”
• When there are no more tears, no craving for good, no fears, no need for salvation of the soul - then might I be ashamed of Jesus? It is unthinkable.
• Do you have fears? Not the fear of God, but fear of men and their doings, and apprehension about circumstances in life that you cannot control. Perfect love casts out fear, says John (1 John 4:18)
• You may find release for your tears and fears, and go to your rest in the arms of the everlasting God. And when you wake in the morning, he will be there.
What would a life be like in which there is thought to be no need for Jesus and no reason to honor his name?
“‘Til then nor is my boasting vain-
‘Til then I’ll boast a Savior slain”
• “nor is my boasting vain,” that is, until then, my boasting is not vain. My boasting, says the songwriter, is in the slain Savior.
• Boasting is not befitting a child of God--that is, boasting in ourselves. Jer 9:23-24 “Thus says the Lord, "Let not a wise man boast of his wisdom, and let not the mighty man boast of his might, let not a rich man boast of his riches; but let him who boasts boast of this, that he understands and knows Me, that I am the Lord who exercises lovingkindness, justice and righteousness on earth; for I delight in these things," declares the Lord.”
This passage was quoted in part to the church in Corinth by Paul, when he wrote simply: “Let him who boasts, boast in the Lord.” (1 Cor 1:31)
The only thing we may be proud of is that we belong to Christ, that he claims us as his own; and that he will so confess in heaven.
“And O may this my glory be,
That Christ is not ashamed of me!”
• Who is the person Christ is ashamed of ? “For whoever is ashamed of me and of my words in this adulterous and sinful generation, of him will the Son of Man also be ashamed when he comes in the glory of his Father with the holy angels.” - Mar 8:38
• The heroes of faith were, says the writer of Hebrews, “strangers and pilgrims on the earth” and were “looking for a better country,” a heavenly one. Therefore God is not ashamed to be called their God, for he has prepared for them a city. Heb 11:13-16
There is nothing about Jesus, --who he is or what he has done-- to make us ashamed of him. He has done only that worthy of glory and honor.
How unfitting to be ashamed of such a one as Jesus! The question is, will he be ashamed of me? When he returns to claim his own, will he say, “This one is not mine. I do not know him. Throw him into outer darkness.”
Or will he say, “Enter into the joy of the Lord.”
