I Believe — Jesus Ascended to Heaven And Is Seated at the Right Hand of God the Father Almighty

Text: Luke 24:50-53; Acts 1:1-11

Theme: I believe that Jesus Christ ascended into heaven and is at the right hand of God. This validates Jesus’ lordship over our lives.

This morning we’re going to look at one of the most significant events in the life of Christ. I want to preach on the Ascension of Christ. It’s the next theological statement in our journey through the Apostles’ Creed. It’s certainly one of the top five events in the life of Jesus, and yet it is one of the most neglected of doctrines in the Church today. We celebrate two great festivals as Christians; the Festival of the Incarnation, and the Festival of the Resurrection. There is no Festival of the Ascension, but there should be. Jesus' work would be incomplete without his ascent to God's right hand. Not only a key moment in the gospel story, Jesus' ascension was necessary for his present ministry in and through the church. Jesus' residence in heaven marks a turning point in his three-fold offices of prophet, priest, and king. As prophet, Jesus builds the church and its witness. As priest, he intercedes before the Father. As king, he rules over all.

I believe that Jesus ascended into heaven, and is seated at the right hand of the Father.

Even though we believe in the ascension of Christ, we tend not to think about it very much, at least when compared to his birth and his death. We know that Jesus was born to become the Lamb slain from the foundation of the world. Without Advent we would be lost in our sin. We know that on the cross he became our atoning sacrifice — our sin was imputed to him and his righteousness was imputed to us. Without Good Friday we would be lost in our sin. We know that without Resurrection Sunday we would not have eternal life. Where, however, does the Ascension fit in?

The event itself is only briefly mentioned in Mark, Luke and Acts. By contrast both the crucifixion and the resurrection are described by all four gospel writers in great detail. And because the event itself is so unusual, it is difficult for us to visualize exactly what happened. To many people it seems like a P.S. to the main message of the gospel — perhaps a convenient way for Christ to go back to heaven. But does it really matter today? And is it essential to our Christian faith?

We believe that Jesus ascended into Heaven. We believe that He is seated at the right hand of the Father Almighty. This morning I want you to understand what this next great affirmation of faith means for us today.

I. HIS ASCENSION VINDICATES HIS LIFE, CLAIMS AND RESURRECTION

1. in his High Priestly Prayer on the night that Jesus was arrested, he asks the Father ...

“I glorified you on earth, having accomplished the work that you gave me to do. 5 And now, Father, glorify me in your own presence with the glory that I had with you before the world existed.” (John 17:4–5, ESV)

2. Jesus is asking the Father to vindicate his life, ministry and sacrifice by revealing to his disciples his glory and honor

a. the ascension will accomplish that, and bring him back to heaven where his glory will be revealed to angels and saints

3. the Gospel of Luke, and the Book of Acts provide the essential outline of the event

a. it occurred forty days after the resurrection (Acts 1:3a)

b. during that time his purpose was five-fold

1) 1st, to convince them that his resurrection was real

a) Matthew, Luke and John all record that even after the resurrection some of the disciples doubted their own eyes

b) the next forty days would alleviate those lingering doubts

2) 2nd, to give commands to the Apostles and teach them about God’s Kingdom

3) 3rd, to assure them of the coming of the Comforter

a) Jesus had promised that the Holy Spirit would come and dwell in them and now he tells them to wait in Jerusalem until that filling comes

b) ten days later the Spirit descends upon the believers and the Church was born

4) 4th, to commission them as witnesses — the Gospel is for all the world

5) 5th, to assure them of his return

a) it’s actually the angels that give this assurance

“And while they were gazing into heaven as he went, behold, two men stood by them in white robes, 11 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.”” (Acts 1:10–11, ESV)

4. the claims of Jesus, that he is the Son of God, the Savior of the world, the final Judge of all human actions; his call for all men to believe in him, his insistence that his teachings are of supreme authority, his call to trust in him alone for salvation and eternal life; and his promises eternal life and abundant life — all needed a demonstration of their validity

a. such a life and such a death as Jesus' demanded a triumph and a vindication

b. the Ascension, which is the necessary consequence of the Resurrection, does all this an more

A. OUR WORSHIP VINDICATES THE RISEN ASCENDED CHRIST

“While he blessed them, he parted from them and was carried up into heaven. 52 And they worshiped him and returned to Jerusalem with great joy,” (Luke 24:51–52, ESV)

“Then they returned to Jerusalem from the mount called Olivet, which is near Jerusalem, a Sabbath day’s journey away. 13 And when they had entered, they went up to the upper room, where they were staying, Peter and John and James and Andrew, Philip and Thomas, Bartholomew and Matthew, James the son of Alphaeus and Simon the Zealot and Judas the son of James. 14 All these with one accord were devoting themselves to prayer, together with the women and Mary the mother of Jesus, and his brothers.” (Acts 1:12–14, ESV)

1. if you’re not careful; if you read too fast you’ll miss an important part of the story

a. for years his younger half-brothers believe Jesus is, at the lease, sincerely deluded, or at worst, absolutely insane

1) they ridicule him, and even attempt to restrain him

b. but in this text it’s revealed that his brothers have all come to faith during this forty-day period

1) his immediate family go from skeptics to saints ... now that’s a vindication of his Messiahship!

2. every time we gather for worship we do so because our Christ is not only risen from the dead, but is at the right hand of the Father in Heaven because he ascended

a. the Ascension, is the effectual vindication of truth and of righteousness that we put our faith in Sunday after Sunday

... His Ascension Vindicates His Life, Claims and Resurrection

II. HIS ASCENSION AUTHENTICATES HIS DEITY

"Since then we have a great high priest who has passed through the heavens, Jesus, the Son of God, let us hold fast our confession." (Hebrews 4:14, ESV)

1. three years before His death, burial and resurrection, Jesus was immersed in the River Jordan by John the Baptist to inaugurate His public ministry

a. as He came up out of the waters, the Holy Spirit — in the form of a dove — settled upon Him, and the audible voice of God proclaimed, “You are my beloved Son; with you I am well pleased” (Mat. 3:22)

2. for the next three years, Jesus would steadily reveal His true nature to the Disciples

a. The Testimony of Others Authenticated His Deity

“John answered them, “I baptize with water, but among you stands one you do not know, 27 even he who comes after me, the strap of whose sandal I am not worthy to untie.” 28 These things took place in Bethany across the Jordan, where John was baptizing. 29 The next day he saw Jesus coming toward him, and said, “Behold, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world!” (John 1:26–29, ESV)

b. What He Taught, and How He Taught, Authenticated His Deity

ILLUS In John’s Gospel we have an incident that is illuminating for us. It is during the Feast of Tabernacles in Jerusalem. Jesus had come to the feast and there was a buzz all over the city. People are openly asking the question, “Could this be the Christ?” Some were absolutely convinced that he was, contending, “When the Christ appears, will he do more signs than this man has done?” The Feast of Tabernacles was one of the most anticipated of annual Feasts for Israel. For seven days the Israelites presented offerings to the Lord, during which time they lived in huts made from palm fronds and leafy tree branches. The purpose for living in the booths was to recall the sojourn of the Israelites prior to their taking of the land of Canaan. Over the course of the week 71 bulls, 15 rams, 105 lambs, and 8 goats were offered as burnt offerings to the Lord. The culmination of the Festival took place on the last day when a Jewish Priest would draw a pitcher of water from the Pool of Siloam and carry it in a sacred procession to the altar at the Temple. It was there that the Priest would pour the water from the pool of Siloam at the base of the alter. This was to signify their faith and hope in the fulfilment of God's promise to pour out the Holy Spirit upon His people. It was during this highlight of the Feast, that Jesus stood up and cried out “If anyone thirsts, let him come to me and drink." (John 7:37, ESV). With that a great debate broke out among the people, Is this the Christ or isn’t it. The Jewish leaders sought at that point to arrest Jesus.

1) now, I tell you all of that to point your attention to John 7:45-47

"The officers then came to the chief priests and Pharisees, who said to them, “Why did you not bring him?” 46 The officers answered, “No one ever spoke like this man!” (John 7:45-47, ESV)

2) even some of the Jewish leaders began to conclude that He was the Promised One

c. His Miracles Authenticated His Deity

ILLUS.In the 10th chapter of John’s Gospel Jesus has another encounter with the Jewish leaders. We’re told that the some of the Jews have picked up stones and are ready to hurl them at Jesus. At that point Jesus asks them the question, “I have shown you many good works from the Father [referring to His miracles]; for which of these do you stone me?” At the end of the conversation Jesus tells them; "Do not believe me unless I do what my Father does. 38 But if I do it, even though you do not believe me, believe the miracles, that you may know and understand that the Father is in me, and I in the Father.” (John 10:37-38, NIV)

1) Jesus tells the Jewish leaders, “Look, if what I say is not enough to convince you that I am the God’s Anointed One, then look at the miracles I’ve done. They alone should convince you.”

d. The Way He Died Authenticated His Deity

"Now the centurion, and those who were with him keeping guard over Jesus, when they saw the earthquake and the things that were happening, became very frightened and said, “Truly this was the Son of God!” (Matthew 27:54, NASB95)

3. at the end of three years of ministry, Jesus is arrested, He is put on trial, He is condemned, He is crucified, He is buried, and — praise God — He rises from the dead three days later

4. He then spends forty additional days on Earth with His disciples providing some closing instructions and encouragement

a. in spite of all this, the Bible tells us that some still doubted

"Then the eleven disciples went to Galilee, to the mountain where Jesus had told them to go. 17 When they saw him, they worshiped him; but some doubted." (Matthew 28:16-17, NIV)

1) was the resurrection true?

2) is Jesus really the Anointed One; the Son of God who takes away the sin of the world or was this merely a resuscitation like Lazarus?

5. the ascension would dispel any doubts once and for all that Jesus was and is God incarnate

a. unlike the resurrection, which no one saw taking place, the disciples actually saw Jesus ascend into heaven

1) it must have been an awe-inspiring sight!

b. the verb taken up carries the idea of being lifted straight up into the air

1) this is no parlor trick

ILLUS. David Copperfield is not putting on a show.

c. they saw him rise, then they saw him disappear into a cloud, then they didn’t see him at all

1) then they returned to the Temple in Jerusalem and worshiped him

ILLUS. That phrase “They worshiped him” is one of the strongest arguments for Jesus’ divinity, and one too seldom noticed. The Jews a were militantly monotheistic culture. All their lives they had pronounced the Shema, “Here O’ Israel, the Lord they God is One, and you shall Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength." (Deuteronomy 6:5, NIV). To give worship and praise to a mere human was blaspheme and worthy of execution. That they so willingly and openly gave worship to the risen Christ and accorded praise and honor to One who was also unmistakably and totally human testifies that they were thoroughly convinced of Jesus’ Deity.

... His Ascension Authenticates His Deity

III. HIS ASCENSION CONSECRATES HIS MINISTRY

1. the Apostles’ Creed not only tells us that Jesus ascended, but it tells us to where He ascended

a. I believe that Jesus ascended into heaven, and is seated at the right hand of the Father

2. the New Testament uses three words to describe Jesus’ status in Heaven

a. Exalted

b. Glorified

c. Enthroned

1) ... exalted because he is a prophet among prophets

2) ... glorified because he is our Great High Priest who gave his life for us

3) ... enthroned because he is King over all kings

3. in the ancient world, when a king wished to honor someone, he offered them a seat at his right hand

a. that seat was the seat of greatest honor

b. it was also a seat of authority that rivaled the authority of the king himself

4. what do we mean when we say say that our Lord is now seated at the Father's right hand?

A. 1st, IT MEANS HE HAS THE PREEMINENT PLACE IN HEAVEN

1. when Jesus returned to heaven in triumph, he was given a preeminent place next to the Father's throne

a. when he arrived, there was a seat with his name on it

b. that seat is at the Father's right hand and is his forever

“Then I looked, and I heard around the throne and the living creatures and the elders the voice of many angels, numbering myriads of myriads and thousands of thousands, 12 saying with a loud voice, “Worthy is the Lamb who was slain, to receive power and wealth and wisdom and might and honor and glory and blessing!” 13 And I heard every creature in heaven and on earth and under the earth and in the sea, and all that is in them, saying, “To him who sits on the throne and to the Lamb be blessing and honor and glory and might forever and ever!” 14 And the four living creatures said, “Amen!” and the elders fell down and worshiped.” (Revelation 5:11–14, ESV)

B. 2nd, IT MEANS THAT HIS WORK OF JUSTIFICATION IS NOW COMPLETE

1. while he was on the earth, he spoke often of "the work" of the Father (John 4:34; 9:4; 17:4)

a. His redemptive work came to a climax when he hung on the cross, bearing the sins of His people

b. when he died, God poured out his wrath on Jesus even though Jesus was perfect and pure and wholly innocent

1) as our sinless substitute, he took the punishment I should have received so that I might go free

“And such were some of you. But you were washed, you were sanctified, you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and by the Spirit of our God.” (1 Corinthians 6:11, ESV)

c. just before he died, Christ shouted out, "It is finished" (John 19:30)

1) in the Aramaic language which Jesus spoke, the phrase literally means "paid in full"

2. the work was done; the debt was paid

a. I can never be charged with the guilt of my sins because Jesus paid it all

3. the ascension signifies that the Father has accepted the work of his Son

a. it consecrated our Lord’s Earthly ministry by setting it aside as the only remedy for sin

b. since God has accepted Christ, nothing more can be added to what he did when he died on the cross and rose from the dead

ILLUS. Hebrews 10:11 reminds us that there were no chairs in the Tabernacle because the priests were not allowed to sit down. They stood to perform their work because their work was never done. Every day the priests would kill more animals — signifying that the price of sin had not yet been paid. But when Christ returned to heaven, he sat down because he had offered himself as the one sacrifice for sin forever.

c. his was a once-for-all sacrifice

1) thank God, Jesus is seated in heaven

C. 3rd, IT MEANS HIS MINISTRY TO HIS SAINTS CONTINUES

1. one of the misconceptions Christians have about the enthroned Christ, is that he is passive while he waits for the Father’s command to come and establish His Millennial Kingdom on Earth

a. Jesus is not in heaven twiddling his thumbs longing for the Father’s ‘go-ahead’

b. Jesus did not go to heaven after His earthly ministry and “take a break” from His role as eternal Shepherd to His people

2. what is Jesus doing in Heaven? (at least six heavenly ministries)

a. He Continues as Our Advocate (because the Devil constantly slanders us before the Father)

1) Jesus is always pleading our case before the Father, like a defense lawyer on our behalf

2) Jesus is our only mediator between God and the believer ... No one else — not Mary, not a saintly Christian, not an angel — has the power to intercede for us before the throne of the Almighty

b. He Is Preparing Our Place in Heaven (this is the promise in John 14)

c. He Makes Our Fellowship with the Father Possible

1) it is through the intercessory ministry of our Savior that we can boldly come before the throne of God in time of need

d. He Is Presiding Over And Caring For His Church

1) as Head over his Church, Jesus guides his Church ... primarily through the Scriptures and the Holy Spirit

2) we must never forget the Jesus is head of his church ... not a pastor, not a prelate, not a pope

e. He Is Giving Spiritual Gifts to His People

f. He Is Receiving the Worship of the Angles and Saints in Heaven

3. the ascension is the great lynchpin of Christ’s saving work — it forms the transition from Jesus’ earthly ministry to his heavenly ministry

a. Jesus never, ever stops ministering on our behalf!

D. 4th, IT MEANS HE IS NOW IN THE PLACE OF SUPREME AND HIGHEST HONOR IN THE UNIVERSE

1. God has exalted him and given him a name that is above every name (Philippians 2:9-11)

a. at the name of Jesus every knee will bow and every tongue will one day confess that Jesus Christ is Lord to the glory of God the Father

2. consider what this means:

a. the victim has become the victor

b. the crown of thorns has been replaced by the crown of eternal glory

c. the reed the soldiers gave him has been replaced with the scepter of regal authority

3. the Book of Revelation, speaking of the glorified Christ, says, On his robe and on his thigh he has a name written, King of kings and Lord of lords, (Rev. 19:16)

a. it means no king or president or potentate can defy him; it means that Satan and his minions are doomed

... His Ascension Consecrates His Ministry

IV. HIS ASCENSION VALIDATES HIS LORDSHIP

“Therefore God has highly exalted him and bestowed on him the name that is above every name, so that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father." (Philippians 2:9-11, ESV)

1. of all the titles given to Jesus in the New Testament, the title Lord became by far the most commonly used, widespread, and theologically important

a. for those early believers it was a word of great significance

2. too many Christians today are guilty of making Christ only a figurehead of their spiritually while continuing to run their lives just as they did before

a. the greatest threat to the church today is not a secular society, nor hedonism, nor humanism

b. the greatest threat to the future of the church today is the spiritual shallowness of so many believers

ILLUS. I once heard an evangelist say that, . . . most new believers have to backslide for ten weeks to catch up with the spiritualness of the average Christian!

a. I suppose there is a lot of truth in that statement

3. unfortunately many believers have never matured past the point of their spiritual birth

a. they are unknowledgeable, undisciplined and uncommitted

1) Jesus is their Savior, but he has never become their Lord and Master

b. brothers and sisters, you will never master life until Jesus becomes your life’s Master

A. THE IMPLICATIONS OF CHRIST’S LORDSHIP

1. the doctrine of the Lordship of Jesus Christ is an intensely personal doctrine and an immensely practical doctrine

2. it’s a doctrine that touches our lives at every point

a. Christ’s lordship will affect the decisions you make

b. Christ’s lordship will motivate the things that you do

c. Christ’s lordship will illuminate the things that you think and the attitudes you hold

3. we simply cannot be half-way disciples

"Whoever loves father or mother more than me is not worthy of me, and whoever loves son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me. 38 And whoever does not take his cross and follow me is not worthy of me. 39 Whoever finds his life will lose it, and whoever loses his life for my sake will find it." (Matthew 10:37-39, ESV)

ILLUS. In his book, On This Rock I Stand evangelist Vance Havner refers to halfway Christians. "A "halfway Christian" he says, “works both sides of the street. He is religious because it helps him in business and gives him a self-righteous satisfaction. But he has no intention of making Jesus Lord of his life.”

a. no decision has greater consequences than how we’ll respond to Christ’s call

1) surrendering your life to His lordship means accepting His authority over your life

2) we accept His rule and agree to submit ourselves in obedience to His will

4. when Jesus is our lord, all that we are and all that we have belongs to him

ILLUS. One of the most influential Christians of the 19th century was William Booth. You may not recognize his name, but you know the organization he established. He founded the Salvation Army. William Booth walked the streets of London, England and saw the poor, hungry, sick, and lonely people of the city. The people were crammed into crumbling buildings that were full of rats. They had no jobs. There was no one to help them. Worst of all, there was no one to tell them that Jesus cared. They did not know that Jesus died to be their Savior and rose again to be their Lord. William Booth made it his life’s career to minister among the poor of his city. Years later when someone asked General Booth the secret of his success, he said, "God has had all there was of me to have! From the day I got the poor of London on my heart, and a vision of what Jesus Christ would do for them, I made up my mind that God would have all there was of William Booth. God has had all the adoration of my heart, all the power of my will, and all the influence of my life."

5. Booth had given all of his life to the Lord

... His Ascension Validates His Lordship

So let me close with this question, “Are you working both sides of the street, or does he have all the adoration of your heart, all the power of you will, and all the influence of your life?” If Jesus is the resurrected, ascended Lord who is seated at the right hand of God Almighty, and you claim his name, you owe him every ounce of love, faith and obedience.