Ashamed of Jesus

Behold the Savior kneeling there;
like sweat, flow drops of blood;
To wash my every sin away
He shed the crimson flood.
To bear the guilt of all the world,
From Heaven Jesus came,
And shall I be ashamed of Him,
Ashamed of Jesus name?

Chorus
No, No, Oh, No
That time can never be;
When I shall be ashamed of Him
Who gave His all for me.

The Savior wore for me a crown
of thorns upon His head;
That I forevermore might wear
a crown of life instead;
For me He suffered, O so much,
for me He bore all blame;
And shall I be ashamed of Him,
Ashamed of Jesus name?

For me He hung upon the Cross,
Before the mocking crowd;
Five bleeding wounds, and all for me;
in death His head He bowed!
Amazing love for me, for me,
He bore my sin and shame,
And shall I be ashamed of Him,
Ashamed of Jesus name?

Let evening blush to own the stars;
God’s glory which display;
Let morning blush to own the sun
that turns the night into day.
The Savior turned my night to day,
and may I blush with shame,
When I no more confess His name,
His precious, precious name.

As we continue remembering Passion week today, I want to share another hymn with you whose focus is on an event that happened on this important week in Christian history, but also share words that remind us of the Cross.  The most significant event in human history. 

I came across this particular song in an old hymnbook that I have at home.  I was, once again, unfamiliar with this song, but its title is what really made me pause and think, and so I decided to dig into the lyrics a little deeper.  I almost wish the hymnal publisher would have added a question mark at the end of the title “Ashamed of Jesus?” because at least it would have given the impression that the author was posing the question – “Are you ashamed of Jesus?”  But when you think about the Easter story, and we think back to Peter’s denial of the Lord that night, we are reminded that there was someone who was ashamed of Jesus.  There was someone that would deny His name.  There was someone so scared of the consequences from men that he would curse and deny the Lord three times.  This is another example of the authenticity of the Gospels.  The Gospel writers didn’t hide Peter’s denial.  They didn’t try to make him look better.  Matthew, Mark and Luke told it like it was.  The good, the bad, and the ugly.  But before I beat Peter up too much, I think about times in my own life where I have kept silent about the Lord.  Times where I have been ashamed to pray in a restaurant, or ashamed to tell someone what Jesus has done for me.  I pray that the Lord, by the power of the Holy Spirit, would do in my life what He did in Peter’s life.  About 40 days after Peter’s denial, something changed in Peter’s heart and in his life.  Peter was transformed by the power of the Holy Spirit.  He went from a being a “denier” to a “proclaimer.”  From being ashamed of the Lord to being so bold that the threat of prison or death could not deter his preaching of the Gospel.  May God grant us all the boldness to proclaim the good news to this lost and dying world.

Isn’t it ironic how confident Peter was when Jesus told him that Peter would deny Him.  Matthew 26/Mark 14 – “Even if all are made to stumble because of You, I will never be made to stumble.”  “Even if I have to die with You, I will not deny You!”  Luke 22 – “Lord, I am ready to go with You, both to prison and to death.”  What confidence Peter had.  What assurance he had in his own staying power.  But I don’t want to focus on Peter.  I want to focus on Jesus’ words in Luke 22- “Peter I have prayed for you.”  Jesus knew what was going to happen.  Jesus knew Satan’s desire to sift him like wheat.  Peter was unsuccessful in fulfilling his commitment to not deny the Lord that night, but I am so grateful that was not the end of Peter’s story.  Peter was sifted, and broken, and he hit rock bottom.  He wept bitterly, but praise the Lord, the weeping didn’t endure for very long.  Peter got to see the Lord first hand.  Peter became an eyewitness, and he was given a second chance.  Peter was changed, even though he was once ashamed.  Peter endured because Jesus prayed for him.

In Mark 8:38, the Bible records the following words of Jesus “For whoever is ashamed of Me and My words in this adulterous and sinful generation, of him the Son of Man also will be ashamed when He comes in the glory of His Father with the holy angels.”  Are there people in our sinful and adulterous generation that are ashamed of Jesus and His words? People that are uncomfortable with what the Bible says about certain sins that might not be “politically correct” to call sin in our modern culture.  Unfortunately there are.  People are fine with the Jesus who says love your neighbor as yourself.  People are okay with the Jesus that says “Judge not lest ye be judged.”  That Jesus doesn’t confront, offend or call out sin.  But what about the Jesus that John describes in Matthew 3 “I indeed baptize you with water unto repentance, but He who is coming after me is mightier than I, whose sandals I am not worthy to carry. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire.  His winnowing fan is in His hand, and He will thoroughly clean out His threshing floor, and gather His wheat into the barn; but He will burn up the chaff with unquenchable fire.”  What about the Jesus that says “Go and sin no more.”  What about the Jesus that condemns those for twisting the Scriptures to justify their wicked motives and actions – a brood of vipers?  Are we ashamed of that Jesus?

I pray today that we are not ashamed of Jesus.  Not ashamed of His life.  Of His death.  Of His actions.  Or of His Holy Word.  We don’t have to make excuses for the Bible.  We don’t have to carve out the stuff that our culture doesn’t like.  The word of God is powerful.  Sharper than any two-edged sword.  All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting, and training in righteousness.  When we try and “dull the blade” by softening the Scriptures to make it more palatable or more acceptable to our culture, we are denying Him and we are ashamed of Him. Jesus has some condemning words for those who are ashamed of Him in this world.  Lord helps us not to be ashamed of you.