Is He Gone?
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Christmas gets songs. Easter gets crowds. Ascension gets confusion.
I mean, think about it:
Christmas has presents.
Easter has candy and empty tombs.
Ascension Sunday feels a little like:
‘…and then Jesus floated away, and nobody knows what to do with that.’
In most churches, Ascension is basically the forgotten major holiday of Christianity. We know baby Jesus. We know risen Jesus. But reigning King Jesus? That’s the part we sometimes skip.
But the Ascension isn’t the strange ending of the story.
It’s the moment Jesus takes the throne.”
This morning as we remember the ascension, we are going to talk about Christ’s involvement on the throne
1 In my former book, Theophilus, I wrote about all that Jesus began to do and to teach 2 until the day he was taken up to heaven, after giving instructions through the Holy Spirit to the apostles he had chosen. 3 After his suffering, he presented himself to them and gave many convincing proofs that he was alive. He appeared to them over a period of forty days and spoke about the kingdom of God.
It is important to begin with this scripture as we will be talking about the ascension today and pentecost next Sunday.
Luke is the author of the book of Acts as well as the book of Luke, which is likely what he means by his former book
Notice that he uses the word “began” which is a verb in the Greek meaning that the work of Jesus has continued!
Jesus’ work didn’t stop when He ascended back to the Father.
We know this from other scripture as well
Some of the things that Jesus is still doing:
1. Preparing a place for us!
2 My Father’s house has many rooms; if that were not so, would I have told you that I am going there to prepare a place for you?
2. He is advocating for us
1 My dear children, I write this to you so that you will not sin. But if anybody does sin, we have an advocate with the Father—Jesus Christ, the Righteous One.
3. He is interceding for us
4. Saving people
25 Therefore he is able to save completely those who come to God through him, because he always lives to intercede for them.
5. He is still giving the gifts of the 5 fold ministry
11 So Christ himself gave the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, the pastors and teachers,
6. Still healing people!
33 There he found a man named Aeneas, who was paralyzed and had been bedridden for eight years. 34 “Aeneas,” Peter said to him, “Jesus Christ heals you. Get up and roll up your mat.” Immediately Aeneas got up.
7. Speaking to the Holy Spirit
12 “I have much more to say to you, more than you can now bear. 13 But when he, the Spirit of truth, comes, he will guide you into all the truth. He will not speak on his own; he will speak only what he hears, and he will tell you what is yet to come.
It is important to know this because some believe that after the ascension, Jesus is no longer working!
What this means for us and why this is important is because:
Jesus is alive and ACTIVE!
If this point alone doesn’t excite you this morning, than I don’t know what will!
How many of you are convinced that Jesus is still active? Maybe from the scripture that I presented or your own experience but you believe Jesus is still active? Yes? Yeah!
How many of you live as if that is true?
What if you lived as if you believed that Jesus wanted to speak in every conversation that you have?
What if every single person that you pass had the opportunity to experience the presence of God simply because you are there?
So, Jesus began His work in the beginning of the book of Luke and is still continuing through Acts and beyond!
4 On one occasion, while he was eating with them, he gave them this command: “Do not leave Jerusalem, but wait for the gift my Father promised, which you have heard me speak about. 5 For John baptized with water, but in a few days you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit.”
So, the command prior to the ascension is to wait as they received the Gift from the Father which is the Holy Spirit!
When the HS comes you will be baptized by Him! Meaning to be immersed in the HS!
6 Then they gathered around him and asked him, “Lord, are you at this time going to restore the kingdom to Israel?”
They gather and have a question for Him. Maybe they knew He was ascending, maybe they didn’t but this is the final question that they have.
I wonder if this is what has been lingering in the back of their minds for some time….
We have seen all this stuff that you did! We watched you die and then rise from the grave!
Now, maybe now, is the time that everything will come as they have expected.
Is now when Israel will reign?
I love Jesus’ response here because maybe in the minds of the disciples, the work is done! Israel will reign and we will be good!
But no, that’s not what Jesus talks about! In fact, it is going to be quite the opposite!
I don’t want to divert too far from the point this morning, but it is maybe a good time to address end times.
Some people wish that maybe I would talk about how close the rapture or return of Jesus is. And how the signs in the scripture are everywhere.
If you have been around my preaching long enough, you will see that I don’t spend too much time talking about that. Not that it is not important, but because I think it distracts from the main point.
And Jesus shares here what I believe to be the main point here.
It is not the end! It is the beginning!
He says:
7 He said to them: “It is not for you to know the times or dates the Father has set by his own authority.
And this would be my response to the rapture or second coming of Christ. It is not for us to know the time, yeah there are signs, but not to focus to much on those
8 But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.”
So, the end is not here! Yeah, that will happen, but the point is this….it’s all starting for you! You will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you and you will be my witnesses in all the world!
This is not the end, this is the beginning!
Maybe the easiest days are behind them and the most difficult days are ahead, but you will have power to endure them!
And, because of the power of the HS inside of you, you will be my witnesses to the whole world!
And this for us today has not changed!
You will receive power when you are saved and receive the HS, to be Jesus’ witness to the world!
Whether or not the rapture is coming soon - I think it probably is - we are still called to reach the world!
Who in your world does not know Jesus?
Because you, as a disciple and witness of Jesus, have the power to change that living inside of you!
Maybe some of us need to stop focusing on the news and if these things we see line up with the book of Daniel or Revelation, and go be Jesus’ witness to someone!
I am not trying to offend anyone this morning, but what I am trying to do is for you to see that the time between the ascension and return of Jesus is imminent. That the whole world may hear of Jesus!
We are not called to be theologians - Jesus didn’t say “go and make theologians of all nations” - no, sound doctrine matters, but we are called to be witnesses - to be disciples who go and make disciples!
Oh, and you have the wisdom to do that from the word of God and the power to do it from the HS!
9 After he said this, he was taken up before their very eyes, and a cloud hid him from their sight.
What just happened may be what some of them are thinking. He’s gone!
They were amazed!
10 They were looking intently up into the sky as he was going, when suddenly two men dressed in white stood beside them. 11 “Men of Galilee,” they said, “why do you stand here looking into the sky? This same Jesus, who has been taken from you into heaven, will come back in the same way you have seen him go into heaven.”
My view here is these guys - likely angels - were like “what are you looking for? He gave you your orders!”
He is going to come back in the same way that He went up, but you have something to do!
So they return back to Jerusalem and here is what they did
14 All these with one accord were devoting themselves to prayer, together with the women and Mary the mother of Jesus, and his brothers.
Jesus gives them the orders and leaves and now they wait as Jesus said but they don’t simply wait, they first are in one accord - that means that they came together with one mind, one in desire, one in purpose!
And, they devoted themselves to prayer!
This is the locker-room huddle before the game!
The coach has given the orders and left, now they come together and get united!
They replace Judas and wait for the day of pentecost!
In this time, they are doing what we should be doing on Sunday mornings!
We should be getting united! We should be praying and worshipping, following the scriptures and getting ready for the week!
The benefit that we have that they didn’t have yet is the HS!
We get to worship, pray, read the word, in Spirit and in truth!
So, what does Sunday morning mean for you?
Is Sunday morning the huddle before the game, uniting, preparing, and equipping for the week or is the time of sitting on the couch watching them do that?
Jesus has commissioned us for a job until He returns!
Let’s take this Sunday morning opportunity to come together! Let’s get united and motivated encouraged, equipped and ready to go!
How does this apply to us?
Connect with others - get united!
Be active in worship! - don’t just sing the songs, connect with the presence of the living God!
Be an active listener of the word! - what is the Holy Spirit saying to you through the sermon?
Be active in the prayer time! - either receive or give prayer!
Gospel/Response
