Jesus: the ascended King

Intro

This sermon is the bridge from one sermon series focused on the parables of Jesus which moved into the journey of Jesus through Holy Week, and now we continue seeing the work of Jesus, but through the acts of the apostles, or more aptly, the acts of Jesus and the Spirit through his people

We’re going to explore what the early disciples did next and see what we can learn from them

We’re going to explore what the early disciples did next and see what we can learn from them

For this series, I’d like you to either grab a Bible from the back as you come in, or to bring a Bible from home as we journey through the book of Acts together

So to set the scene let’s watch a video from the bible project

Acts 1:3–5 NIV

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. 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.”

Acts 1:3–6 NIV

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. 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.” 6 Then they gathered around him and asked him, “Lord, are you at this time going to restore the kingdom to Israel?”

Acts 1:3 NIV

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.

Acts 1:3–11 NIV

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. 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.” 6 Then they gathered around him and asked him, “Lord, are you at this time going to restore the kingdom to Israel?” 7 He said to them: “It is not for you to know the times or dates the Father has set by his own authority. 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.” 9 After he said this, he was taken up before their very eyes, and a cloud hid him from their sight. 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.”

In this first sentence, Luke is referring to Mary Magdalene meeting Jesus at the tomb, appearing to the disciples in the upper room, then appearing a week later to the disciples and particularly Thomas, the the Road to Emmaus and the moment where Jesus appears to the fishing disciples, telling them to throw their nets on the others side of the boat, the nets become full, and then over a fish BBQ Jesus redeems Peter, asking him if he loves him 3 times. And we’re led to understand by Luke that there were other moments which we don’t find in scripture, but which proved to Jesus’ followers that he really was alive.

And when he appeared to them, what did he do? He taught them about the Kingdom of God

God’s space, his realm. Of course we know that the story of the Bible is the reconciliation or bringing together of God’s space and our space, God’s kingdom realm and our earthly realm. Seeing overlap of heaven through living as children of God and citizen’s of King Jesus

We’re talking about heaven kissing earth, and the transformation of Jesus breaking through

Acts 1:4 NIV

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.

Acts 1:5 NIV

5 For John baptized with water, but in a few days you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit.”

Jesus is referring to Pentecost, the Jewish festival which was being celebrated at the time, but which was God’s planned day to send his Holy Spirit to overcome and fill the disciples, to empower them, and to be the mark of followers of the way, followers of Jesus, apprentices of Jesus

So the two things Jesus is speaking about, and which he speaks about the most, is the Kingdom of God being close, and witnessed through him

And the Holy Spirit who he has the authority to send

The same Spirit who rose Jesus from the dead, and he was sending that Spirit on his people

Now I’m not going to mention much more about Pentecost, and in fact in this sermon series we’re skipping a head past it next week, because the world wide church celebrates Pentecost this year on the 9th June when we’ll be having our full immersion baptisms, so you’ll have to wait then for more on Pentecost

Are we nearly there yet?

Acts 1:6 NIV

6 Then they gathered around him and asked him, “Lord, are you at this time going to restore the kingdom to Israel?”

Let me pause here and ask you to put your hand up if you’ve ever been in the car with a child in a long journey

Ok, keep your hand up if that child said

“Are we nearly there yet” more than once, more than twice, how about continuously

We reached that stage as soon as Josh could talk, and every long journey, hopefully after they’ve had a very long sleep, the boys start to get fidgety.

They know we’ve already traveled along way, well sometimes it’s just as we enter the M6, but on the whole we’ve traveled a good hour. Maybe we’ve had a few service stops along the way.

We’ve maybe had some great conversations, and we’ve explored the concepts of the destination we’re heading too.

Sometimes the boys clearly understand what’s happening and where we’re going because they’ve been there before.

If we say, we’re off to Nan and Gramps’ they know the score, and they know roughly how long it will take.

But when it’s somewhere new, somewhere they haven’t experienced before, they have no idea what to expect.

And I think it’s similar here with the disciples.

They’ve journeyed with Jesus, seen the amazing things he’s done, heard his incredible teaching of the upside down way to live. They stood at the foot of the cross, and either at the empty tomb or in his presence in the upper room.

...

And still they think that God’s kingdom is something political, something to overthrow the Roman rule, and the corrupt religious rule, instating Jesus as the King over the physical kingdom of Israel.

They’ve journeyed this far with him, and yet they are still bound by their earthly out look

Acts 1:6 NIV

6 Then they gathered around him and asked him, “Lord, are you at this time going to restore the kingdom to Israel?”

Acts

“Are we nearly there yet?”

Of course we know Jesus didn’t come to overthrow the political leaders at that moment in history, he came to overthrow the spiritual rulers, the chain of sin and the final destination of death. Jesus came to throw open the doors for an eternal relationship with God, something which we’d rejected

Acts 1:7 NIV

7 He said to them: “It is not for you to know the times or dates the Father has set by his own authority.

We’ve all heard of the people who try to predict when Jesus will come again

Don’t ever pay any attention to them, because they are directly disobeying this command of Jesus, one of his final commands before ascending into heaven. And I personally reckon the surest days Jesus won’t come back are probably the days that people publicly state the day of his return

Only God knows when he will fully restore heaven and earth, and it’s not for us to speculate, but we fully believe and trust that that day will come

Acts 1:8 NIV

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.”

If we believe in Jesus and have accepted him into our lives, then we have received the Holy Spirit

And we are called to be witnesses to him

In Our home town or city, Haydock or St Helen’s, Merseyside, and Cheshire, and to the ends of the earth

Acts 1:9 NIV

9 After he said this, he was taken up before their very eyes, and a cloud hid him from their sight.

Acts 1:10 NIV

10 They were looking intently up into the sky as he was going, when suddenly two men dressed in white stood beside them.

Acts 1:11 NIV

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.”

Have you noticed how the angelic beings, the supernatural powers of God, the messengers of God are at the key events in the life of Jesus.

From Gabriel announcing his conception to Mary, the angels proclaiming his birth to the shepherds, meeting Jesus in the Garden of Gethsemane, rolling the stone away and meeting the women at the empty tomb and here at the ascension

And their message.

“Why do you stand here looking into the sky?”

I wonder how many times we are guilty of looking into the sky. Keeping our eyes heaven bound rather than carrying out the command we were given

to be witnesses

To join God in his mission

We are called to be witnesses.

I don’t know if you’ve heard about the 5 marks of mission?

5 different ways that God has asked his followers to join him in his mission of uniting heaven and earth

These were put together in 1984, led by the Church of England, but joining with other churches to search scripture and put together a simple way of expressing God’s mission to the world that we are called to join him in.

Many people get their nickers in a twist about the priority of each of these, but the key thing is that we engage in them, and at different points in our series a head we’ll be exploring each of these

To proclaim the Good News of the Kingdom

To teach, baptise and nurture new believers

To respond to human need by loving service

To transform unjust structures of society, to challenge violence of every kind and pursue peace and reconciliation

To strive to safeguard the integrity of creation, and sustain and renew the life of the earth

Response

Just take a look at that list, and let’s spend some time with the Lord asking him which one we’re drawn to and which one we don’t recognise in our ministry, in the way we are living our Christian walk, our apprenticeship to Jesus