The Ascension
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This Thursday was 40 days after Easter and that marks the day of Jesus’s ascension into heaven. This day has been traditionally marked as Ascension day, however perhaps as time has gone on in the church we have not recognized it as often as it has been in the past.
From the book of Acts chapter 1
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.”
Luke, a physician wrote 2 books, the book of Luke, and the book of Acts. Although they are separate books, Luke references his first book .
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.
This fellow Theopholus is a friend or perhaps a protege of Luke and Luke is presenting Him with this eyewitness account of Jesus, until the day He was “taken up to heaven” after giving instructions to the apostles for starting the church.
In christianity, this is what is known as an essential doctrine. To call oneself a Christian in the historic orthodox or normal sense, one must among other beliefs posses a belief in the ascension of Jesus.
Becoming a Christian starts with faith in the finished work of Jesus Christ. At it’s core this is the gospel. but notice, I said finished.
The gospel from 1 Cor 15, is that Jesus Christ died on the for our sins according to the scriptures, and then rose from the dead three days later and later appeared to many .
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.
When we place our faith in that past event looking backward to what happened on that day in that time. Our faith in that oast event, just marks the start of our new life in Christ. How do we live that new life? What happened to Jesus? How does the Trinity relate to us now?
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.”
Now, leading up to Jesus’s departure -he begins to tell the disciples how to live out the Christian life, wait for the gift my Father promised which you have heard me speak about-Here Jesus is talking about the Holy Spirit coming. That event occurs later, on pentecost but today we are focusing on the ascension.
6 Then they gathered around him and asked him, “Lord, are you at this time going to restore the kingdom to Israel?”
Now the apostles start to ask Jesus about His kingdom, and His rule. Now, Jesus has a threefold office, or ministry. Jesus serves the office of Prophet, priest, and king.
Jesus serves as a prophet, becasue prophets warn of God’s coming judgement, we Jesus did on many occasions, and prophets are verified by events taking place that they spoke of beforehand. Jesus did this in numerous places in the gospel. The most frequent of corse being His death and resurrection, but also the fall of Jerusalem to the romans as well.
Jesus served as a priest by being the mediator between God and man. In two senses. In one sense as being the God-man, having a dual nature of God and man, and by offering a sacrifice ofor sins on our behalf at the cross.
So the final office at this point in the apostles mind is yet to take place, the office of king. Jesus was certainly entitled to the throne of Kisrael by birth, since he was from the line of David, so why is He not taking the throne the apostles wonder.
Are you going to take the throne now they ask? Is this when you restor ethe kingdom?
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.”
But instead of taking an earthly kingdom, there is some sort of power here. We say the kingdom of God has this all ready, and not yet sense to it. Jesus is describing the already and not yet.
Jesus says It is not yet time for you to know when the Kingdom of God has finally come in its complete form upon the earth and when Jesus takes his earthly throne, that is the not yet-
The already is you will already recieve power when the Holy Spirit comes upon you.
In some sense the church is part of the already- the church-When I say that I mean the invisible church made up of the believers- has power over the spiritual world. In some sense when the Holy Spirit comes upon the believer, You and me when we- by faith have trusted in Christ we are given power over the kingdom of darkness.
This power is not the same as Jesus being King or ruler, but we are given power spiritually speaking over the kingdom of darkness in our lives as the church. We now have power to exercise righteousness in place of sin, and power to be victorious over the spiritual battles in our lives though the church
9 After he said this, he was taken up before their very eyes, and a cloud hid him from their sight.
Then this cloud appears. This is called the Shikinah glory. It is a cloud like appearance or manifestation of the glory of God on earth. As if the presence of God in the spiritual has broken through into the physical to make known that something extremely significant is happening.
This cloud was present on Mount Zion when Moses received the 10 commandments. It was present in the tabernacle above the mercy seat. It was present with the angles at the annoucemnet of the borth of Jesus, It was presenton the mount of transfiguration, when Jesus was transfigured before thier eyes.
Now, God’s power and glory is again manifested in this cloud as Jesus is taken up before 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.
As the apostles, are watching this scene they are looking intently up at the sky when two men dressed in white appear. Luke described two men at the tomb after Jesus rose from the dead in clothes that gleaned like lightening.
As the angles are standing alongside the apostles we read this.
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 apsotles, are no dount mesmerized by this sight, it is the glory of God after all. Not only that thier belived Jesus thier freind teacher, leader, is gone, and they are understandably still staring up at the sky perhpas sad perhaps dumounded, and the men in white say Why? Whay are you still staring at the sky?
WHaty are you looking for the living among the dead.? The angles asked at Jesus resurrection. It is time to move on. The glory of God is wonderful and mesmorizing, We should love to hold on to to Jesus, but… There is a time to move on a time to move forward. There is a time to advance the kingdom to be about the owkr of ministry howver unglamerous, it is
A time to be about calling others to Christ through the gospel a time for preaching and teaching and baptising., Why Why are you looking at the sky?
This same Jesus, the meek the lowly the one who was crucified, the one who wept and taught and ate with you, will return the same way you seen you him go.
WIth glory with the angles, with the the power of God, with the flash of lightening, WIth the blast of a trumpet. It will be visible and public.
The world will see the same Jesus, the same Jesus that was talked about and wirtten about 2,00 years that SAME Jesus will again appear like a thief in the night, when we do not expect him with the trumpet call of God Jesus will again come, so get to it.
Call people from right where you are Preach the gospel to those that outside of your group, male disicples of the outcast and the differnet. baptize all nations and teach them to obey all that Christ has taught us in his word, becasue He will come again to judge the living and the dead.
The ascension provideds for us this look into the future a hope for world in which the God who loved us so much, was willing to die for us, will rule us with justice and equity and with love. The ascension also gives us an assurance that Jesus is on the throne.
This world can look like Satan is in control. The Bible does say that Satan is the prince of this world, and He is called the ruler of the power of the air, this can look bad. It can gives us the feel that wpoe is us, as evil seens to be everywhere and Satan seems to rule. butSatan only has the pwoer that God Almighty allows him to have.
Jesus
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.
Death could not hold Jesu, Sin and all the dark forces that aligned themselves agaisnt the son of God that day were not vistorious. Jesus conquered death and through his ascension he rose not just from the dead, and not just inot the heavenlies but He rose to the very throne of God and SAT DWON at the right hand.
That phrase does not mean that he is unattentive or not doing anything like we do when we sit down in our easy chair. It means that Christ has full control of the throne, and the power, there is no question it is his he has full authority
His voctpry at the cross assured his place on the throne. He SAT DOWN at the right hand of God. He finished his worl and went to take his place of authority and power and dominion.
Wjhatever occurs or happens in this world and under the heaven nothing happens that is not under the authority of Jesus Christ.
He is FAR ABOVE ALL ruke and AUthority. POWER and DOminion- In THIS AGE that is right NOW and In the future and God the Father has placed ALL things under his feet, ALL not some. ALL things are under his control
otr Phil 2.8-11
8 Being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross.
9 For this reason also, God highly exalted Him, and bestowed on Him the name which is above every name,
10 so that at the name of Jesus every knee will bow, of those who are in heaven and on earth and under the earth,
11 and that every tongue will confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.
Every Knee will bow- This is from the NASB it is nore forceful than the NIV_ It is WILL bow, the translators used should in the future sense that we really do not use it much that way we use more in an indefinite sense but it is not indefinite it is will.
THat is in Heaven and on earth AND under the earth- that is even those who have gone on to hell ill still bow at the name and authority of Jesus
TO The Glory of God the Father!
That magnifies God. It makes God ture it shows that God keeps his promises, Promises made from the very beginning It bvalifdates that God is just, by punishing sin, It demonstrates God patience and lovingkindness for the sinner it makes manifest the reality of the love of God in your Gid in your
This is eveudnec or the GLORY of God the Father who sought you and bought you and transferromed you.
I will close with one final reference to the ascension from Titus.
11 For the grace of God has appeared that offers salvation to all people.
12 It teaches us to say “No” to ungodliness and worldly passions, and to live self-controlled, upright and godly lives in this present age,
13 while we wait for the blessed hope—the appearing of the glory of our great God and Savior, Jesus Christ,