“And Jesus came to them and spake unto them, saying, all authority hath been given unto me in heaven and on earth.” Matthew 28:18
From bumper stickers to commemorative syrup jars, there is a vast array of items being marketed today to encourage Americans to celebrate the Bicentennial. Nearly every business and industry has boarded the bandwagon in some fashion, and in a sense it is good to see Americans pulling together in a common cause. We hope there will be very positive benefits forthcoming from this national celebration.
Some of the attempts to cash in on this celebration, however, are appearing to reach proportions that border on the absurd. We are offered, at a price of course, privately minted medallions, Bicentennial caskets, a red, white and blue toilet seat, and a garbage bag with a liberty bell imprinted on it, among many other things. And there is a company, I am told, that has mailed invitations to ceremonies honoring its Bicentennial oil rig. The reasoning is that 200 years ago we fought for political independence; now we are fighting for “energy independence” from imported oil, and one way is to produce more domestic oil. So the sales pitch is that this rig is painted red, white and blue, and dedicated to a new fight for independence in terms of oil production.
We sort of smile at this kind of “American ingenuity,” and though we may question the appropriateness of some of these attempts, we are grateful for the free enterprise system which encourages private initiative and development of individual ideas.
We must be very careful, however, that in our celebration we avoid the worship of man, that we do not aim our gratitude at human ingenuity, and that we do not fail to recognize the source of all blessings, either as we give thanks for the past, or express our hopes for the future. It will take conscientious efforts on the part of God’s people to keep it from being a strictly humanitarian oriented celebration. Are not all the past blessings received and the successes enjoyed due and owing to God’s favors? And are not all our hopes for the future based upon the knowledge that He is Lord of lords and King of kings?
Jesus told His disciples shortly before He was exalted to the right hand of God: “All authority hath been given unto me in heaven and on earth.” That is a claim to all power, and the right to exercise it. He had accomplished the mediatorial work the Father had given Him to do. Now He was about to return to the right hand of God, from where the reins of the universe were to be held by Him in the carrying out of God‘s plan for the world.
We can be quite sure, then, that things are not really what they appear to be on the surface. Outwardly, judging from the behavior and life-style of the majority of people, we might be quite convinced that the evil one has a pretty free reign over men‘s hearts. For we hear about and we observe so much that suggests many people have a rather flippant attitude about life, a philosophy geared to an “eat, drink and be merry, for tomorrow we die” approach to living. And the result is the breeding and educating of a generation to whom God is a nice person to remember when you are in trouble and have a special need, but with whom you need not bother much otherwise.
But the fact of the matter is, the God of heaven and earth is not a God who merely responds to our beck and call when we need Him, but He is sovereignly ruling over everything. From Him all authority is derived, and to Him all glory and praise belong. We cannot really do justice to a two-hundredth anniversary celebration without acknowledging the One who has all authority over all things in heaven and on earth.
In a few weeks, the church will again be commemorating Christ’s ascension to the right hand of the Father. It‘s a celebration largely ignored by the world, and even often forgotten or neglected by the church. And yet it is highly significant in the redemptive work of our Lord. It was Christ’s coronation day, when He presented to the Father His completed work of redemption, and when the Father gave Him authority over all things in heaven and on earth.
We, then, as God’s people, will commemorate that day; and, in the assurance of His lordship, we will never fear. We will join in our nation‘s birthday celebration too. And as long as He gives us life and breath, we will engage in a whole host of activities, and keep ourselves occupied with a wide variety of duties and responsibilities until the Lord comes again. But all the while, we will live and work in the confidence that the control-room of the universe is manned by the ascended Son of God, our Savior and Lord, Christ Jesus. May He see us living each day as “more than conquerors through him that loved us” (Rom. 8:37).