HG183-184 Luke 24:44-53-Acts 1:3-12, Mark 16:19-20 Ascension Sunday
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He said to them, “This is what I told you while I was still with you: Everything must be fulfilled that is written about me in the Law of Moses, the Prophets and the Psalms.”
Then he opened their minds so they could understand the Scriptures. He told them, “This is what is written: The Messiah will suffer and rise from the dead on the third day, and repentance for the forgiveness of sins will be preached in his name to all nations, beginning at Jerusalem. You are witnesses of these things. I am going to send you what my Father has promised; but stay in the city until you have been clothed with power from on high.”
When he had led them out to the vicinity of Bethany, he lifted up his hands and blessed them. While he was blessing them, he left them and was taken up into heaven. Then they worshiped him and returned to Jerusalem with great joy. And they stayed continually at the temple, praising God.
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.”
12 Then the apostles returned to Jerusalem from the hill called the Mount of Olives, a Sabbath day’s walk from the city.
Today is Ascension Sunday and so Cavin has read to us the two passages that Luke wrote in relation to this very important event. I know that many like to make a big thing of the birthday of Jesus but I think that celebrating Easter is more important. But there is a celebration that we do not seem to do anything about which is the event that ended His earthly journey and that maybe because its significance goes over our heads.
John MacArthur Sermon Archive The Significance of the Ascension
when Jesus ascended into heaven, that was heaven’s affirmation that He had accomplished everything He had come to do.
Luke’s Gospel starts with Jesus’ birth and ends with His ascension; with Jesus’ arrival and departure. Luke ends his gospel with the end of one history, that is, of Jesus life on earth, and starts another history of the life of the Church, ending his gospel with the ascension and starting Acts with the ascension. The ascension is significant for the work of God especially upon the earth.
So, let us return to Luke’s story. He has the disciples together with their Lord who ate and drank in their presence. He probably, with His resurrection body, did not need to eat but it was further evidence that He was not a ghost or an apparition and furnishing another infallible proof. There could be no room for doubt in the minds and hearts of the Apostles and disciples.
Their first point of action though was to hear and obey. Jesus ordered them to not leave Jerusalem until the Promise of the Father was given to them. In other words: wait.
Jesus was crucified at Passover. 3 days later Jesus rose from the dead. Jesus spent 40 days with the disciples. Pentecost is 50 days after Passover. That leaves us with 7 days waiting for the Promise. But at the time they had no idea how long they were going to wait except that Jesus said it would not be long. I wonder how it must have felt to them. Jesus dies. Bad enough. Then they receive Him back. Woohoo! Then after 40 days He leaves them again. And then they are bereft again until that glorious day called Pentecost.
This Promise though was something that Jesus had spoken about before His crucifixion. We find this in John’s Gospel:
37 On the last day, that great day of the feast, Jesus stood and cried out, saying, “If anyone thirsts, let him come to Me and drink. 38 He who believes in Me, as the Scripture has said, out of his heart will flow rivers of living water.” 39 But this He spoke concerning the Spirit, whom those believing in Him would receive; for the Holy Spirit was not yet given, because Jesus was not yet glorified.
And then, the time had come, barely had Jesus said the words; “you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you”, that he started to ascend up into Heaven. But somehow this was different than all the times before when they had been with Jesus over the past 40 days. Jesus had come and gone, come and gone, come and gone several times before but there was a definite finality to this. They knew that this was the end. No more would they see Jesus. A cloud descended covering their sight from Him and they continued to look up in the hope against hope they would catch another glimpse of Him.
That is , until two were standing there whom they did not see appear but were simply there and their attention was drawn to them whilst still looking intently upwards.
John MacArthur Sermon Archive The Significance of the Ascension
“Why are you looking longingly? Why are you looking as if you’re losing someone? This Jesus who has been taken up from you into heaven will come in just the same way as you have watched Him go into heaven.” He went up physically and bodily and that’s exactly the way He’ll come back. He went up from the Mount of Olives, He’ll come back to the Mount of Olives. “And when He comes back, every eye will see Him.”
Hope was rekindled, perhaps they will see Jesus reappear but somehow they also knew that it was not going to happen anytime soon.
Of course, it was not the first time a cloud had hidden Jesus from the sight for three of the disciples present that day. On the Mount of Transfiguration we read in:
While he was saying this, a cloud came and overshadowed them; and they were fearful as they entered the cloud. And a voice came out of the cloud, saying, “This is My beloved Son. Hear Him!”
Just that, this time, Jesus did not reappear.
Clouds are significant in the Old Testament for the Jews for clouds signify the presence of God and we can read some of the things that happened in their early days:
21 And the Lord went before them by day in a pillar of cloud to lead the way, and by night in a pillar of fire to give them light, so as to go by day and night.
34 Then the cloud covered the tabernacle of meeting, and the glory of the Lord filled the tabernacle.
But it is also significant for the future too:
27 Then they will see the Son of Man coming in a cloud with power and great glory.
The two who stood by were no doubt angels as they were dressed in white. And their message was quite simple: Jesus is coming back. Not only that but just in case there was any confusion: It was going to be the same Jesus coming back who had been with them from the beginning in Galilee, who had been crucified, who had risen from the dead and had now ascended. It would be this same Jesus personally coming back descending, as it were, out of Heaven but this time it will be with glory and honour and majesty and power and the cloud will bring Him.
Were we to look at religious founders of the world’s religions we find they are all singular in one thing – they died and stayed dead! Their history stops at their deaths. Who knows what they had planned to do when death interrupted them? And what of them now? None of their followers can say I will go and ask. All of their followers are now blind. They may have some writings but they are not living.
But it is different with Jesus. He completed His work. That was immediately clear the moment He arose from the dead. He can speak with authority on all things. But where is Jesus now and what is He doing?
A bank in Binghamton, New York sent a floral arrangement to a business that had recently moved into a new building. There was a mix up at the florist, and the card sent with the arrangement read, “With our deepest sympathy.” The florist apologized, but became even more embarrassed when he learned that the floral arrangement sent to a funeral home read, “Congratulations on your new location.”
Jesus moved to a new location and His ascension into Heaven has meaning for us.
John MacArthur Sermon Archive The Significance of the Ascension
He went back different than He had left. He had left as pure Spirit, He went back as pure Spirit and pure glorified humanity. No more just Spirit but glorified humanity. And this is proof that heaven is a place which accommodates glorified humans and it will accommodate us.
It was an absolute necessity that Jesus returned back to Heaven so that the Holy Spirit could be sent to every believer and be with them and empower them to live according to His power, His promises and His nature.
This was not the only reason for Jesus’ return though.
But can you imagine what it must have been like? It must have been awesome to see Jesus return from His trip to earth:
7 Lift up your heads, O you gates!
And be lifted up, you everlasting doors!
And the King of glory shall come in.
8 Who is this King of glory?
The Lord strong and mighty,
The Lord mighty in battle.
9 Lift up your heads, O you gates!
Lift up, you everlasting doors!
And the King of glory shall come in.
10 Who is this King of glory?
The Lord of hosts,
He is the King of glory.
Selah
What is this other than a coronation? Long live the King!
He had achieved all His goals, He had done what He came to earth to do.
69 Hereafter the Son of Man will sit on the right hand of the power of God.”
He is King. He is sitting on the throne. He is the ruler of everything. He has sat down and this means He has done all that He had to do.
Indeed we read in
And He put all things under His feet, and gave Him to be head over all things to the church, which is His body, the fullness of Him who fills all in all.
There is no rival to Jesus. He stands alone in His uniqueness. He is King of kings and Lord of lords and there is no one who can usurp His throne or power. He is now glorified. No one can overturn His victorious conquest – the devil, the world, sin have all been defeated.
So, Jesus returned to Heaven in glory and majesty but He did not go back to rest on His laurels though He certainly could have done that but He went back to get on with a new work, a new ministry, being Head of the Church.
Not only that but we, being who we are, far from being perfect as we are called to be, need someone to stand in the gap between us and the Father whose holiness will not accept us but in
Jesus, stands for me and you there, in the gap, for His blood has paid the price for sin. There is now no more penalty for sin for it has been paid in full. We have been made righteous in His sight. Oh, it seems incredible to believe that if we trust in His blood to save us we will be saved because we all know we still sin. Well, thank you, Lord that He has not left us without the encouragement we find in:
9 If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. 10 If we say that we have not sinned, we make Him a liar, and His word is not in us.
1 My little children, these things I write to you, so that you may not sin. And if anyone sins, we have an Advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous. 2 And He Himself is the propitiation for our sins, and not for ours only but also for the whole world.
25 Therefore He is also able to save to the uttermost those who come to God through Him, since He always lives to make intercession for them.
Jesus is praying always for you. He is willing you to finish the race.
14 Seeing then that we have a great High Priest who has passed through the heavens, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold fast our confession. 15 For we do not have a High Priest who cannot sympathize with our weaknesses, but was in all points tempted as we are, yet without sin. 16 Let us therefore come boldly to the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy and find grace to help in time of need.
Our High Priest has made it possible for us to come to God at any time, without fear, without condemnation. He is waiting with open arms. Let us remember, though, the cost of this relationship, this reconciliation. It was bought by the blood of Jesus. An invitation is sent to you and everyone; open the doors and let Him in, for He wants to be in blessed fellowship with you and with me. All His ministry is summed up in this: God wants to be with us and us with Him.
On top of that He is also getting ready for us:
1 “Let not your heart be troubled; you believe in God, believe also in Me. 2 In My Father’s house are many mansions; if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you. 3 And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and receive you to Myself; that where I am, there you may be also.
So, it is also plain for us that Jesus is not going to stay in Heaven but one day He is going to come again and we will be taken to where He is. We can be comforted with the fact that we, who are here, will meet Him one day in the air. What a privilege!
But what sort of people should we be with this knowledge? Knowing He is coming and could come at any moment should mean that we are getting on with the work of God, knowing that God wants others to be reconciled to Him too:
19 So then, after the Lord had spoken to them, He was received up into heaven, and sat down at the right hand of God. 20 And they went out and preached everywhere, the Lord working with them and confirming the word through the accompanying signs. Amen.
And they went out and preached everywhere, the Lord working with them and confirming the word through the accompanying signs. The work of Jesus has been passed onto us; as Jesus did, so must we.
The fact that Jesus returned to Heaven does not mean that we are bereft here on earth. No, we have been given the Holy Spirit and when we do His work then Jesus will confirm what is said through various signs and miracles so that people will put their trust in Him.
What is the significance of the Ascension of Jesus?
To be glorified
To be crowned as King of kings
So the Holy Spirit could be sent to us
The mantle of Jesus is upon His Church to do His work upon the earth
To prepare for us a home
For Jesus to be the Head of the Church
To mark His triumph over Satan
To start His high priestly work as our intercessor and advocate
And have the promise of His return
Indeed, the Ascension is another one of those events that we should celebrate!
Benediction
Benediction
And may the Lord make you increase and abound in love to one another and to all, just as we do to you, so that He may establish your hearts blameless in holiness before our God and Father at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ with all His saints.
And every creature which is in heaven and on the earth and under the earth and such as are in the sea, and all that are in them, I heard saying:
“Blessing and honor and glory and power
Be to Him who sits on the throne,
And to the Lamb, forever and ever!”
Bibliography
Bibliography
MacArthur, J. F., Jr. (2014). John MacArthur Sermon Archive. Panorama City, CA: Grace to You.