The Ascension of Jesus

Good Morning. Welcome to another week of church here at the bridge. Today is the day that we celebrate and recognize the ascension of Jesus. This is an important day in the history of the church because it is a day that we mark as Jesus returning to the Father and being seated in heaven.

So imagine for a minute if you were one of the people who witnessed this event. It is something i am willing to bet that you would remember for the rest of your life. You wouldn't forget the day and the time that it happened. You would share it with your kids and grand kids as something that was very significant in your life. It had me thinking about what those days are for us. What are the dates that we remember because they were historically significant and impacted our lives both emotionally and structurally.

Dates We Remember

As is thought about this I decided that we have a lot of dates that I could think of to draw from. Some of these dates are very much generational. Different generations remember different dates because they impacted them more specifically. Let’s Look at some of these dates and identify their impact.

December 7, 1941

Pearl Harbor. The day that shocked many Americans because many people thought it wasn’t possible for America to be attacked. It is a day that we remember because it is a reminder of what war can be. It is a tragic day to remember to think about, but is also a day that we remember each year or should because it helps us think of what it means for us to live in this country and to thank or veterans and members of our military.

May 8, 1945

V-day. Or victory day the day that WWII ended. This is one that many of us would have to look up but if you grew up in that time it would be a part of your life and it would be something that you remembered because it was such an important day.

November 22, 1963

This one is a powerful one. I know that my mom could tell you exactly where she was at when the news of this event happened. This is the day that JFK was assassinated. It is a moment that puts in to perspective that even our most powerful leaders can be vulnerable.

Let’s look at something a little more positive.

July 20, 1969

Well there are some people who might argue that this was all staged and never happened. However, the Moon landing. This was a moment in our history that was a culmination of achievement in our history not as just a country but for mankind. We achieved something actually amazing.

October 19, 1987

Black Monday. No this wasn’t a special shopping day that happens after a holiday. This was the day the stock market crashed. Thankfully this was a shorter period of time that it impacted comparatively to the Great depression but it was still an important day that caused a massive affect on the world and is remembered.

One Last date.

September 11, 2001

Probably one of the most significant dates in recent history. This is a date that impacted many of the current generations because it changed the way the world was run and is our moment to be remembered. I can tell you i was in gym in High school and i walked into my next class and was confused why everyone was staring at the T.V. The rest of the day caused so much confusion and uncertainty. It was a powerful day that still affects us to this day.

Jesus’ Ascension

So I imagine that it was similar for the people who were present when Jesus ascended. Let’s Read about this together.

Acts 1:1–11 NIV

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. 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.”

The Ascension

This is an amazing moment. It is a moment that is also full of mystery and wonder. It is a moment that we read about and we have to wonder what happened. Jesus essentially disappeared before their very eyes as he rose into the heavens. It is a moment that we can only speculate about what happened exactly. This makes it challenging as a historical event because unlike the other historical events we talked about earlier it isn’t as clear what happened. It is a moment where we must realize that we have to step out on faith in our belief that God did something amazing and it was a miracle that we look to as a shift in the very lives of followers of God.

The Reality is that this was a moment that Christ was elevated he was no longer bound by death and he was returning to God and it is powerful. It reminds us that...

Christ’s Exaltation is for the Benefit of the Church

It is in this moment that we can know that Christ was exalted to a higher place and while there is a mystery that surrounds it, there is a powerful truth that we can hold on to and look to in our faith. Paul did this in his letters to the church. He often would open his letters with a moment of thanksgiving and prayer and he would include what could be seen as a testimony to what God is doing in the church.

Ephesians 1:15–23 NIV

15 For this reason, ever since I heard about your faith in the Lord Jesus and your love for all God’s people, 16 I have not stopped giving thanks for you, remembering you in my prayers. 17 I keep asking that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the glorious Father, may give you the Spirit of wisdom and revelation, so that you may know him better. 18 I pray that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened in order that you may know the hope to which he has called you, the riches of his glorious inheritance in his holy people, 19 and his incomparably great power for us who believe. That power is the same as the mighty strength 20 he exerted when he raised Christ from the dead and seated him at his right hand in the heavenly realms, 21 far above all rule and authority, power and dominion, and every name that is invoked, not only in the present age but also in the one to come. 22 And God placed all things under his feet and appointed him to be head over everything for the church, 23 which is his body, the fullness of him who fills everything in every way.

Read those last couple verses again.

Ephesians 1:18–23 NIV

18 I pray that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened in order that you may know the hope to which he has called you, the riches of his glorious inheritance in his holy people, 19 and his incomparably great power for us who believe. That power is the same as the mighty strength 20 he exerted when he raised Christ from the dead and seated him at his right hand in the heavenly realms, 21 far above all rule and authority, power and dominion, and every name that is invoked, not only in the present age but also in the one to come. 22 And God placed all things under his feet and appointed him to be head over everything for the church, 23 which is his body, the fullness of him who fills everything in every way.

Jesus was exalted to a position that is powerful and amazing. It is because of this that the ascension is something that we should place a high value on. It is in this moment that we see the testament of God to the position that He placed Jesus. It is here that we find the authority and the power of the relationship that the church shares with Jesus.

Of course as we have talked about in the past the church has had its share of mistakes since Jesus ascended but the church has done some amazing things and it should always be the intentions of the church to being Glory to God. This is where we need to come back full circle as a the church in realizing that when Jesus ascneded not only did he provide us testimony to the power of God but it helps us understand the mission of the church.

The Mission of The Church

Just before Jesus ascended he did a couple things for the disciples.

Luke 24:44–47 NIV

44 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.” 45 Then he opened their minds so they could understand the Scriptures. 46 He told them, “This is what is written: The Messiah will suffer and rise from the dead on the third day, 47 and repentance for the forgiveness of sins will be preached in his name to all nations, beginning at Jerusalem.

He opened their minds up to understand the scriptures so that they would be able to understand everything that had happened while he was present on this earth. Not only that he promised them the Holy Spirit

Luke 24:49 NIV

49 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.”

Yet, this isn’t the most powerful verse in these small passage of Scriptures. Did you notice i skipped one.

Luke 24:48 NIV

48 You are witnesses of these things.

This is where we find the Mission of the church.

The Mission of the Church: Is to Revel who Christ is!

The church is called to be the witnesses to the work of Christ. Through the last 2000+ years we have been the direct recipients of the testimony of the grace and love of God. It is because of the testimony of those that fateful day that we were able to come to this knowledge and it is our responsibility as Christians to continue the testimony of the church in sharing the Gospel. It is in our personal stories as individuals that we can share the hope that is Jesus and how he transforms us. It is in our coporate story as a church that we can shre the message of hope by loving our neighbors and showing the world what he has done in our lives. WE are called to go and do this because we love and are thankful for what God has done and that Jesus is the head of the church and we want to bring others into relationship with him.

We know this because it is only through Christ that we can gain true freedom form the pains of this world and it is only through him that we can have hope in the world to come and what he has for us. It is in the hope of his return that we no longer look to the sky for him but look to our neighbor and the need to share the message so that one day when the heavens open and he returns that we can greet him and rejoice in his return because we are his faithful servants.

It is on that Day that no one will forget where they were because the world will be completely transformed.

Let us pray.