Happily Not Offended

Do you realize that a lot of people are offended at the name of Jesus or at the testimony of who He is?  Military chaplains cannot pray in Jesus’ name for public events.  My son is a chaplain and those are the rules he has to live by.  School prayers are not to be ended in Jesus’ name because someone might be offended.  If you refer to Jesus as the Son of God in a Muslim country you literally take your life in your hands.  They are offended by that.  Satan wants to wash Jesus’ name from our country and our world.

In Luke 7:23 Jesus said, “And blessed is he who is not offended because of Me.” Here is that word “happy” again.  There are a lot of people out there who seem to fear the very name of Jesus.  It upsets them.  They are not happy when they hear His name.  This may be true for a variety of reasons on the surface, but only one in the heart.  An old chorus goes, “Jesus is the sweetest Name I know, and He’s just the same as His lovely Name, and that’s the reason why I love Him so, for Jesus is the sweetest Name I know.” To the believer He is the sweetest Name.  To the lost, however, His name speaks judgment. 

I am very fond of the Apostles’ Creed.  I quote it every morning with my devotions.  There is a line at the end of the confession about Christ.  “From thence He shall come to judge the quick and the dead.”  Satan knows the power of Jesus’ Name and he fears it.  Those who are not Christ’s family by faith know deep in their heart that the Name of Jesus will be for them judgment and not joy.  Someday every knee will bow and every tongue confess that Name to the glory of God the Father.  But most will be doing it in judgment and not joy.  There is no happiness for them.  They are not happy now.  They might hear that Name that they fear.  There is no happiness for them forever after they have confessed that Name to their own judgment. 

But for those who know Him, His Name is sweet.  To those not offended by that name there is happiness.  It is the relational happiness of sweet communion with a dear loved one that goes on and on.  Frederick Hosmer wrote the hymn “O Name, All Other Names Above”.  His first stanza reads, “O name, all other names above, what art Thou not to me? Now I have learned to trust Thy love and cast my care on Thee.”  There is the confession of a man who is not offended by Jesus’ name.  Let us all say with him, “Thou art all to me.” 

 

 

The Friday Benediction

Until Monday, my friends, may the good God envelop you with His grace; may you prove the common confession of faith, “I believe in the holy Christian church and in the fellowship of the saints”, and may you be enriched with joy and hope as you exercise that confession this weekend.  Amen

 

Visit my website at www.davidccraig.net for inspiring Christian books.  Coming this month is my newest book Taking Care of Joe.  This is the story of a caregiver for an Alzheimer’s patient.  See how God adds His grace in the face of this horrible disease and how living a life of love is living a life NOT interrupted.  You may also find some of my selected daily devotions at FEBC.org.  FEBC is a vital missionary outreach to many countries that are closed to traditional missionary work.