Presidential Inauguration
"Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me." — John 14:6
This past week was a momentous time, the significance of which compels me to turn aside from our perusal of Nuggets from the Psalms to take note of a matter of monumental import. Certainly the inauguration of the 44th president of the United States of America was awe inspiring. The sight of the millions gathered in our nation's capitol, braving cold and fatigue to be a part of it was surpassed only by the visual evidence, thanks to modern technology, of millions more throughout the world, enthralled with wonder and imbued with hope, sharing the awesome moment in history.
What was most impressive, however, though it will be little noticed by the nation or the world at large, was the thunderous omission. Preachers prayed. Congressmen prayed for the welfare of a stricken comrade. And the president elect concluded his remarks with the traditional "God bless America." But nowhere did one hear any significant reference to the Lord Jesus Christ. To be sure, while the world watched and listened, one pseudo evangelical clergyman made a vague reference to "Jesus," but it was buried in a short string of synonyms in such a way as to be inoffensive and insignificant; he lacked either the courage or the conviction—or both—to recognize the absolute authority of the Son of God.
The objective of the whole, of course, was to be "inclusive" and as inoffensive as possible. Missing was any indication of understanding that theism, stripped of any reference to the Lord Jesus Christ, is no better than idolatry. Men think that by invoking the name of "god" they do service to the creator. Scripture would teach us just the contrary. Prayers and pious pronouncements that ignore the Son of God rise no higher than the arena in which they are uttered.
It is precisely because the Lord Jesus Christ is exclusive in His pronouncements and His teaching that He is hated in the world at large, and why He was crucified as a blasphemer in His day. Our text for today is representative of His claim to absolute authority. Other scriptures reinforce this doctrine. He said, "Whosoever therefore shall confess Me before men,him will I confess also before My Father which is in heaven. But whosoever shall deny Me before men, him will I also deny before My Father which is in heaven [Matt. 10:32-33]."
Again it is written, "Whosoever denieth the Son, the same hath not the Father: (but) he that acknowledgeth the Son hath the Father also [I John 2:23]." And He declared, "And in that day ye shall ask me nothing. Verily, verily, I say unto you, Whatsoever ye shall ask the Father in my name, he will give it you Hitherto have ye asked nothing in my name: ask, and ye shall receive, that your joy may be full. These things have I spoken unto you in proverbs: but the time cometh, when I shall no more speak unto you in proverbs, but I shall show you plainly of the Father. At that day ye shall ask in my name: and I say not unto you, that I will pray the Father for you: For the Father himself loveth you, because ye have loved me, and have believed that I came out from God [John 16:23-27]."
The Lord Jesus Christ is inclusive in His love, for He died for the sins of the whole world, and "Whosoever will may come" into God's favor through Him. But He is exclusive in His authority; to ignore Him is to miss God, the true and living God, completely.
"God bless America?" Not on these terms. But don't blame the president elect. Blame the spiritual anemia of contemporary Christianity that has become the religious norm of our decaying nation. We, with the rest of the world, want peace without the Prince of peace. We want the kingdom of God without the King. This side of heaven, the future is bleak. Washington is not the holy city, and the president of the United States, whoever he may be, is not the Messiah.
The avenue to God is through the person and work of the Lord Jesus Christ, and through Him alone. Leave Him out of the script and there will be no "happily ever after." "For the Father judgeth no man, but hath committed all judgment unto the Son: That all men should honour the Son, even as they honour the Father. He that honoureth not the Son honoureth not the Father which hath sent him [John 5:23-24]."
With His glory in view,
"Pastor" Frasier
What was most impressive, however, though it will be little noticed by the nation or the world at large, was the thunderous omission. Preachers prayed. Congressmen prayed for the welfare of a stricken comrade. And the president elect concluded his remarks with the traditional "God bless America." But nowhere did one hear any significant reference to the Lord Jesus Christ. To be sure, while the world watched and listened, one pseudo evangelical clergyman made a vague reference to "Jesus," but it was buried in a short string of synonyms in such a way as to be inoffensive and insignificant; he lacked either the courage or the conviction—or both—to recognize the absolute authority of the Son of God.
The objective of the whole, of course, was to be "inclusive" and as inoffensive as possible. Missing was any indication of understanding that theism, stripped of any reference to the Lord Jesus Christ, is no better than idolatry. Men think that by invoking the name of "god" they do service to the creator. Scripture would teach us just the contrary. Prayers and pious pronouncements that ignore the Son of God rise no higher than the arena in which they are uttered.
It is precisely because the Lord Jesus Christ is exclusive in His pronouncements and His teaching that He is hated in the world at large, and why He was crucified as a blasphemer in His day. Our text for today is representative of His claim to absolute authority. Other scriptures reinforce this doctrine. He said, "Whosoever therefore shall confess Me before men,him will I confess also before My Father which is in heaven. But whosoever shall deny Me before men, him will I also deny before My Father which is in heaven [Matt. 10:32-33]."
Again it is written, "Whosoever denieth the Son, the same hath not the Father: (but) he that acknowledgeth the Son hath the Father also [I John 2:23]." And He declared, "And in that day ye shall ask me nothing. Verily, verily, I say unto you, Whatsoever ye shall ask the Father in my name, he will give it you Hitherto have ye asked nothing in my name: ask, and ye shall receive, that your joy may be full. These things have I spoken unto you in proverbs: but the time cometh, when I shall no more speak unto you in proverbs, but I shall show you plainly of the Father. At that day ye shall ask in my name: and I say not unto you, that I will pray the Father for you: For the Father himself loveth you, because ye have loved me, and have believed that I came out from God [John 16:23-27]."
The Lord Jesus Christ is inclusive in His love, for He died for the sins of the whole world, and "Whosoever will may come" into God's favor through Him. But He is exclusive in His authority; to ignore Him is to miss God, the true and living God, completely.
"God bless America?" Not on these terms. But don't blame the president elect. Blame the spiritual anemia of contemporary Christianity that has become the religious norm of our decaying nation. We, with the rest of the world, want peace without the Prince of peace. We want the kingdom of God without the King. This side of heaven, the future is bleak. Washington is not the holy city, and the president of the United States, whoever he may be, is not the Messiah.
The avenue to God is through the person and work of the Lord Jesus Christ, and through Him alone. Leave Him out of the script and there will be no "happily ever after." "For the Father judgeth no man, but hath committed all judgment unto the Son: That all men should honour the Son, even as they honour the Father. He that honoureth not the Son honoureth not the Father which hath sent him [John 5:23-24]."
With His glory in view,
"Pastor" Frasier
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