Jesus's Eye Witnesses Part 3
Notes
Transcript
Handout
Jesus has risen and ascended to the right hand of the Father.
He is risen! (He is risen indeed!)
He is ascended! (He is ascended indeed!)
In this sermon, we will explore the ascension of Jesus to the right hand of the Father. We will read six passages that address his ascension, starting with the confusing passage of John 20:17.
Jesus said to her (Mary), “Do not cling to me, for I have not yet ascended to the Father; but go to my brothers and say to them, ‘I am ascending to my Father and your Father, to my God and your God.’ ”
Luke 24:50-51.
And he (Jesus) led them out as far as Bethany, and lifting up his hands he blessed them. While he blessed them, he parted from them and was carried up into heaven.
Acts 1:6-12.
So when they had come together, they asked him, “Lord, will you at this time restore the kingdom to Israel?” He said to them, “It is not for you to know times or seasons that the Father has fixed by his own authority. But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth.” And when he had said these things, as they were looking on, he was lifted up, and a cloud took him out of their sight. And while they were gazing into heaven as he went, behold, two men stood by them in white robes, and said, “Men of Galilee, why do you stand looking into heaven? This Jesus, who was taken up from you into heaven, will come in the same way as you saw him go into heaven.”
Then they returned to Jerusalem from the mount called Olivet, which is near Jerusalem, a Sabbath day’s journey away.
Mark 16:19.
So then the Lord Jesus, after he had spoken to them, was taken up into heaven and sat down at the right hand of God.
Hebrews 1:3-4.
He is the radiance of the glory of God and the exact imprint of his nature, and he upholds the universe by the word of his power. After making purification for sins, he sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on high, having become as much superior to angels as the name he has inherited is more excellent than theirs.
Ephesians 4:4-12.
There is one body and one Spirit—just as you were called to the one hope that belongs to your call— one Lord, one faith, one baptism, one God and Father of all, who is over all and through all and in all. But grace was given to each one of us according to the measure of Christ’s gift. Therefore it says,
“When he ascended on high he led a host of captives,
and he gave gifts to men.”
(In saying, “He ascended,” what does it mean but that he had also descended into the lower regions, the earth? He who descended is the one who also ascended far above all the heavens, that he might fill all things.) And he gave the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, the shepherds and teachers, to equip the saints for the work of ministry, for building up the body of Christ.…
Praise the Lord, he is ascended! (He is ascended indeed!)
All of Christianity agrees that he ascended to the right hand of the Father. This is, in fact, one of our non-negotiables because it concerns Jesus’ position as our mediator.
The timing of his ascension has some ambiguity and is therefore debated. There are three explanations for the timing of his ascension.
The first is the Traditional view: Jesus ascended forty days after Easter on a Thursday before Pentecost, as depicted in Acts 1.
The second is the Easter Morning view: Jesus ascended to heaven Easter morning when he was resurrected. Acts 1:6-11 is then symbolic of his first ascension as depicted in Hebrews and Ephesians.
The third is the Easter Day/Evening view: Jesus ascended to heaven on Easter Day after his appearance to Mary (John 20:17), but before his appearance to the disciples in the upper room where he had them touch him (Luke 24:39). This view also holds Acts 1:6-11 as symbolic of his first ascension as depicted in Hebrews and Ephesians.
I would propose a fourth option. We are not dealing with one ascension, but two in Scripture.
The first ascension happened on Easter day/evening after appearing to Mary, but before appearing to the disciples (John 20:17; Luke 24:39). This ascension is the one where he presents his blood on the altar of heaven before God, demonstrating his victory over the forces of wickedness (Ephesians 4:8-9; Hebrews 1:3-4).
The second ascension happened on Thursday, forty days after his first ascension on Easter. This ascension is the last time he was physically on earth with the disciples before he comes again (Luke 24:50-51; Acts 1:6-11). May we cry out with one voice, “Come, Lord Jesus, Come!”
With this background, let’s look at Acts 1:6-7.
6 So when they had come together, they asked him, “Lord, will you at this time restore the kingdom to Israel?”
7 He said to them, “It is not for you to know times or seasons that the Father has fixed by his own authority.
We are not Jews, so we do not ask the same question, but we do ask one very similar. We often ask, “How long before you restore all things?” When we experience the brokenness of this world, this question pervades our thoughts.
What is Jesus ' answer to them, and to us?
I’ll tell you this: it is not the one they wanted, nor is it the one we want. His answer is to trust in the Father's timing. He then reminds them and us of the Father’s provision in Acts 1:8.
8 But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth.”
Good news, Church! We have received the Holy Spirit. We have God’s provision to live as his witnesses till he returns.
We are to be his witness. Our entire lives bear witness to him for good or bad. We often think of witnessing as something done with speech, and it is, but it is not confined to that. Everything we do is a witness.
How we conduct ourselves is a witness to God: how we drive, how we interact with our neighbors, how we treat our spouse, how we treat our children, how we treat our pets, and the hardest - how we treat our enemies.
Praise the Lord that he has given us his Spirit so that we can be effective witnesses of God to the world.
Acts 1:9-11.
9 And when he had said these things, as they were looking on, he was lifted up, and a cloud took him out of their sight.
And while they were gazing into heaven as he went, behold, two men stood by them in white robes, and said, “Men of Galilee, why do you stand looking into heaven? This Jesus, who was taken up from you into heaven, will come in the same way as you saw him go into heaven.”
The Shekiniah glory surrounded him while he talked to the disciples, and lifted him up from their sight, leaving them gazing in awe and longing for Jesus.
May we too find ourselves in awe and longing for Jesus, having it motivate us to be his witnesses until he comes.
May we never forget the admonition of the two men, the two witnesses. Jesus will come in the same way as you saw him go into heaven. Church, He is coming! He is coming!
He will come to the Mount of Olives (to defend Jerusalem and make war against the nations), cleaving it in two, and the river of life will flow from his throne, bringing life to the Dead Sea, life to all (Zechariah 13; Ezekiel 47).
Church, in the power of the Holy Spirit, be his witness till he comes. Come, Lord Jesus, Come!
