Headed to the Heavenly Coronation

Headed to the Heavenly Corona/on Acts 1:1-11 April 26, 2020 The trip took two hours to complete. Over one year had been spent in planning. It cost over 75 million dollars. 30,000 people par@cipated in the trip. Over 100,000 witnessed it in person. Another 27 million watched it on TV. 8,000 people were wai@ng at the des@na@on, represen@ng 129 na@ons and territories. A headpiece was worn on the trip containing over 1300 diamonds and 169 pearls. Do you know what trip I’m referring to? It’s a trip made through the streets of London in 1953 by Elizabeth II to Westminster Abbey for her corona@on as the Queen of England. Our story today from God’s Word is about a different corona@on trip. It was likely less than a minute in dura@on, though It had been planned since before the crea@on of the world. The cost of the trip was nil in dollars but had demanded total obedience unto death from a single individual. Only 1 person made the trip and only 11 people watched it begin, though mul@tudes watched it end. Only a simple cloth headpiece was donned. Of what corona@on trip am I speaking? The trip 2 millennia ago of Jesus of Nazareth from earth through the clouds to his corona@on as the King of Kings and Lord or Lords at the right hand of God in heaven. We call this corona@on trip the Ascension of Jesus, or simply, The Ascension. When it comes to Good Friday, Chris@ans think of the Cross. At Easter, Christ followers think of the empty tomb and the resurrec@on. These two events are, indeed, at the heart of God’s Grand Story to free humankind from the bondage and penalty of sin and restore us to rela@onship with himself. But what about the event that happened 40 days a[er the empty tomb? What is the importance of the Ascension? What relevance does it have to our lives? For many Chris@ans, Easter is the end of the celebra@on. We can easily forget or skim over what happened 40 days later. Seminary professor, Michael Horton, observes that we typically “treat the Ascension as li3le more than a dazzling exclama9on point for the resurrec9on rather than as a new event in own right.” What happened at the Ascension and why does it ma^er? A[er Jesus rose from the dead the Bible tells us he made 10 appearances to various individuals and groups of people over a period of 40 days. The past two weeks, we explored two of these appearances: one to two disciples on the road to Emmaus and the other, an appearance in Jerusalem to his disciples, including Doub9ng Thomas Headed to the Heavenly Corona9on 2 Luke tells us in his biography of Jesus that 40 days a[er the resurrec@on, the Lord appears one last @me to his disciples. He leads near Bethany, a village on the eastern slope of the Mount of Olives. Their, he shares some par@ng words. Luke then tells us in Acts 1:9 -11: . . . he [Jesus] was taken up as they were watching, and a cloud took him out of their sight. While he was going, they were gazing into heaven, and suddenly two men in white clothes stood by them. They said, “Men of Galilee, why do you stand looking up into heaven? This same Jesus, who has been taken from you into heaven, will come in the same way that you have seen him going into heaven.” (Acts 1:9-11 CSB) Where did Jesus go? The angels said he went into heaven. By looking at other verses we see that Jesus was making a trip to his corona@on as the King of Kings and Lord of Lords. In Heb 1:3b we read, ANer making purifica9on for sins, he sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on high. (CSB) The right hand is a term from the Bible to denote a place of supreme honour and power. In Hebrews, we also read that {God} crowned him [Jesus] with glory and honor and put everything under his feet. (Heb 2:7b CSB) In Eph 1:20-21 we read that a[er God the Father raised Jesus from the dead, he seated him at his right hand in the heavens—far above every ruler and authority, power and dominion, and every 9tle given, not only in this age but also in the one to come. (Eph 1:20-21 CSB) The Ascension was Jesus’ corona@on trip to heaven to be crowned King over the en@re cosmos. Why is that important? Because he is now King over all powers and authori@es, including Satan. And guess what? If you’re a Christ-follower, you not only share in Christ’s death and resurrec@on, you share in his exalta@on and victory over the powers of darkness. In Eph 2:6-7, we read, And God raised us up with Christ and seated us with him in the heavenly realms in Christ Jesus, . . . (Eph 2:6 CSB) Because of Jesus’ ascension and corona@on, you and I who are seated in him as he sits on his heavenly throne, can access the power to stand against and gain victory over all of Satan’s schemes: worry, fear, doubt, tempta@on, persecu@on, whatever Satan or this world can throw at us. Jesus’ ascension means he is King over all and that you and I can share in his power over Satan and all rulers of darkness. But the Ascension also means we can experience mercy and grace. Heb 4:14 tells us that we have a great high priest who has passed through the heavens . . . The term passed through the heavens is ascension language. Jesus passed through the heavens and then sat down at the right hand of God. (Heb 1:3) Because Jesus is our High Priest, we can now come boldly to God’s throne. We can receive mercy and find grace to help us in 9me of need. (Heb. 4:16 CSB) Whether we’re wrestling with Headed to the Heavenly Corona9on 3 cancer, bi^erness, betrayal, pride, loneliness, discouragement, disappointment, or Covid-19, we can call out to God with confidence because we have a high priest who intercedes for us. Did you know that Jesus’ current sole occupa@on at God’s right hand is praying for you and me? Heb 7:25 says that Jesus always lives to intercede for those who come to God through him. The requirement for experiencing God’s help is coming to him through Jesus. Jesus said, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me. (John 14:6 CSB) Because of Jesus’ ascension, he’s the King over all crea@on, and he’s a High Priest who prays for you, through whom you can experience mercy and grace. The Ascension also provides you a personal Helper. The night before he was crucified, Jesus told his disciples that it was for their good that he was leaving, because he was going to send them a helper, the Holy Spirit. (John 16:7) How could the Holy Spirit’s presence be be^er than Jesus? That’s like a father saying to his child, I’m going to leave soon and not come back, but my cousin is coming to be with you and that’ll be be3er for you. How can it be be^er for the child for the parent to leave and the cousin to come? How can it be be^er for Jesus to leave and for the Helper, the Holy Spirit, to come? While on earth, Jesus was limited by space and @me. He couldn’t be with each one of his followers at once. When my boys were at home and involved in sports, they some@mes had games at the same @me in different loca@ons. I remember having to alternate going to their games because I couldn’t be in two, or some@mes, three places at the same @me. I desired to be with all of them because I loved them and wanted to enjoy life with them, but I couldn’t. If Jesus had stayed on earth, he couldn’t have simultaneously been present with all his followers. But the Helper, the Holy Spirit can. All Christ followers can experience his empowering presence everywhere at the same @me. If you’ve made Jesus your Lord, your master, you’re never alone. Jesus is with you in every moment, in every circumstance, in every season of your life. How? By his Spirit, the Helper, who lives inside you. Did you know the Helper couldn’t have come without the Ascension? In John 7:39 we read, Those who believed in Jesus were going to receive the Spirit, for the Spirit had not yet been given because Jesus had not yet been glorified. (John 7:39) John indicates here that the Spirit could only come a[er Jesus was glorified. When was Jesus glorified? A[er the ascension which occurred 40 days a[er the resurrec@on. Jesus was glorified at his corona@on at God’s right hand where God the Father exalted him for comple@ng his earthy mission. We read earlier in Heb. 2:7 that God crowned Jesus with glory and honor. Headed to the Heavenly Corona9on 4 When did the Helper come? On the Day of Pentecost, 50 days a[er the resurrec@on and 10 days a[er the Ascension. The Holy Spirit came and filled the lives of Jesus’ disciples. The Holy Spirit is s@ll filling those today who will acknowledge Jesus as Master and respond to him in faith and trust. Because of the Ascension, Jesus is the King of Kings and shares his power and authority with you, he offers you mercy and grace as your High Priest, and he’s always present with you in the Holy Spirit. The Ascension has at least one more benefit. It keeps us longing for Jesus’ return. No@ce what the two angels declare to the disciples as they gaze into the sky watching Jesus depart. “. . . This same Jesus, who has been taken from you into heaven, will come in the same way that you have seen him going into heaven.” (Acts 1:11b CSB). The Ascension creates a deep longing for Christ’s return. It reminds us that his kingdom reign is “here” but “not yet.” Though now seated at God’s right hand in heaven, Jesus will return to earth a second @me to establish his kingdom reign in all its fullness. (Rev 11:15) All enemies will be put under his feet. (1 Cor 15:24-27) We can believe that Jesus will return because of the Ascension. The disciples saw him go. And the Bible tells us that all people will see him return (Ma^ 24:10; Rev 1:7). As Christ followers, we long for that day. A day when there will be no more sorrow, crying, pain, or death and Jesus will wipe away every tear from our eyes. (Rev 21:4) In January of 1967, a horrible accident occurred in a launch pad test of Apollo 1 which was to have been the first flight of a three-man Apollo capsule into Earth’s orbit. A flashfire ignited due to some faulty wiring. Within seconds, all three astronauts were consumed in the flames. Two years later, when Apollo 11 got ready to carry human beings to the moon, US President Richard Nixon asked his speechwriter, William Safire, to prepare a speech en@tled, “In Event of Moon Disaster.” If anything went wrong on the mission, Nixon would read the speech on TV, the radio communica@ons with the moon would be cut off, the astronauts would be le[ alone to die, and a minister would commend their souls to “the deepest of the deep.” But that's not what happened. On July 20, 1969, with less than 30 seconds of fuel le[, the lunar module landed in the Sea of Tranquility, and Commander Neil A. Armstrong stepped off the ladder onto the gray, powdery surface of the moon. It was the first @me a human had ever gone to another celes@al body. A[er their return to earth, the astronauts had parades and dinners held in their honor in Washington D.C. President Nixon gave each astronaut the Presiden@al Medal of Freedom. What a celebra@on! The human race had just accomplished its greatest technological achievement of all @me. But there was a celebra@on of another victorious mission that was infinitely grander in scale and intensity. When Jesus Christ accomplished the greatest mission of love and reclama@on Headed to the Heavenly Corona9on 5 ever a^empted—when he went through the clouds and splashed down on heaven's shore—a celebra@on of epic propor@ons erupted! He had done it! Jesus had just completed the most dangerous and most important mission of all @me. He had faced every tempta@on but never gave into sin. He stood up to the intense hatred of people with only truth and love. He could’ve called legions of angels to rescue him, but he willingly obeyed and fulfilled his mission of giving up his life as a sacrifice to bring people back to God. He defeated the Devil. He destroyed death. Now he returns to heaven in victory. The Father welcomes him home and seats him at his right hand, the place of highest honor. He gives all authority to Jesus and crowns him Lord of Lords and King of Kings. Why do we celebrate the Ascension? Because all heaven celebrates the victorious return of the Son, the Lamb who was slain, the Lion who conquered, the one who says in joy and power: "All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me." Have you joined in the corona@on celebra@on that started in heaven two millennia ago and that con@nues to this very day? Are you reaping the benefits of the Ascension? Are you experiencing the victory over Satan’s power that comes from being seated in King Jesus on his throne? Are you experiencing the mercy and grace that is available to you through your High Priest who is praying for you right now? Do you know the in@mate presence and encouragement of the Helper, the Holy Spirit who has come so that Jesus can always be with you? Are you eagerly awai@ng Jesus’ bodily return and the consumma@on of his kingdom reign on Earth? If not, you can? You say, “Kent, how? How can I experience these reali9es?” By admiung that you’re a sinner and have rebelled against God’s righvul authority. By believing that Jesus died for your sins on the Cross and that he rose from the dead to give you eternal life. By giving him control of your life and allowing him to start changing you from the inside out. Will you take those steps today? If so, I invite you to pray this prayer aloud line by line a[er me right now. Dear God // I admit I’m a sinner // I’m separated from you. // Jesus, // I believe you died on the cross for my sins // and you rose from the dead // to give me eternal life. // Come into my heart. // I give you control of my life. // Help me to follow you // all the days of my life. // Amen If you prayed that prayer and meant it, you’ve taken the first step in following Jesus and in enjoying all the benefits of his Ascension. I’d like to know that you prayed that prayer. I invite you to contact me at hbc@hawkwood.ca so I can encourage you in how to keep following Jesus. Headed to the Heavenly Corona9on 6 We men@oned earlier that one of the benefits of the Ascension is the presence of the Holy Spirit in our lives. Jesus told his disciples immediately before his ascent that the Holy Spirit would empower them to tell others about him and all that they had seen and heard. The Holy Spirit s@ll empowers Christ followers today to go in his name and proclaim the good news of the Manger, the Cross, the Resurrec@on, and the Ascension to the world. I invite you to sing now as Graeme leads us in a song that reminds us of this privilege and calling.