Encounters with the Resurrected Christ: Part 2, At the Ascension
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Last week we began with a question, one which I’ll ask again today. Have you had a personal encounter with the Resurrected Christ? Perhaps last week you saw that you had a Damascus Road encounter with Christ, one where when you met Jesus as your Savior and Lord, and your life became transformed. You can see in yourself and other people can see in you - that because Jesus is living in and through you - you are no longer the same person you once were. And perhaps your Damascus Road encounter with Jesus included genuine Christians and caring churches working in your life before you met Jesus and genuine Christians and caring churches working in your life as you have been walking with Jesus. Maybe you have had that Damascus Road encounter with the Resurrected Christ.
Or perhaps your encounter with the Resurrected Christ was more similar to that of the now eleven disciples who saw their friend Jesus caught up in clouds and transported to His father in heaven. Perhaps your encounter with the Resurrected Christ was like that of the disciples at Jesus’ ascension.
You say, “Pastor Jason what do you mean by that?” Well you can open your Bibles to the gospel of Luke, the twenty-fourth chapter or follow along on the screen if you would like. Luke chapter 24 beginning in verse 50.
And he led them out as far as Bethany, and lifting up his hands he blessed them.
While he blessed them, he parted from them and was carried up into heaven.
And they worshiped him and returned to Jerusalem with great joy,
and were continually in the temple blessing God.
A genuine encounter with the Resurrected Christ is one that when we meet Him, there is an exchange that takes place. The Risen Savior blesses you. He blesses you with an understanding of who you are and who He is — and that He still loves you and is committed to your well being despite you being who you are and who He is. The Risen Christ blesses you with love, grace, mercy, forgiveness. He blesses you by removing your stain of shame. He blesses you by taking your standing as an outcast and welcomes you into the family of God as an adopted son or daughter.
You cannot encounter the Risen Savior and leave His presence without being blessed by Him just as Jesus blessed His disciples before ascending to heaven.
But remember I said there is an exchange that takes place, because as beneficiaries of Jesus’ blessing the disciples respond with worship. And not just a worship service, no this seems to be a life of worship because the text says they “and were continually in the temple praising and blessing God.”
That sounds like a lifestyle of worship.
There is an exchange that takes place — As beneficiaries of Jesus’ blessings, we bless Jesus through a lifestyle of worship.
Everything we believe and do in terms of our faith and practice is not for merit, not for earning favor with God or for tallying enough good deeds to outweigh your bad deeds as if you could earn your way to heaven. No how we live out our faith in the world is all about a response of gratitude in worshipping Jesus who saved us.
Why concern ourselves with God’s commandments, that’s legalism!
But Jesus said in Matthew 15:9
in vain do they worship me, teaching as doctrines the commandments of men.’ ”
that people worship God in vain when they elevate the commandments of men as doctrine. Well if I want to have a lifestyle of worship as a response of gratitude to Jesus blessing me, shouldn’t I care about God’s commandments?
Why concern ourselves with not only what goes into our bodies, in terms of food or drink, but also what goes into our bodies in the forms of thoughts or entertainment? Isn’t that legalism?
The apostle Paul would likely say No to that because in Romans 12:1
I appeal to you therefore, brothers, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship.
Paul said that we are to present our bodies as a living sacrifice, which is our spiritual worship. Having standards whether it is what animals you will or will not eat or having standards concerning what you will not watch is not legalism, it’s a lifestyle of worship as a response of love and gratitude to Jesus’ blessings.
Why concern ourselves over something as small as which day we rest from our labors and go to church? You worship on Saturday, you go to church on Sunday, hey as long as we take one day in seven to rest, what does it matter which day of the week it is as long as we are resting? Isn’t it legalism to get so hung up on the particulars?
Well what does that first angel flying in Revelation 14 cry out to all who live on earth before Jesus comes.
And he said with a loud voice, “Fear God and give him glory, because the hour of his judgment has come, and worship him who made heaven and earth, the sea and the springs of water.”
That second angel bids us to worship God as Creator by quoting the very 4th commandment that bids us to rest and to remember Him every seventh-day of the week. It isn’t legalism, it’s a lifestyle of worship this angel calls all mankind to adopt. A lifestyle of worship in response to Jesus’ blessings.
If that point is clear, can I hear the church say, “Amen.”
And we could say “Amen” and have the closing song and get to lunch. But if we did, we wouldn’t get the chance to answer one important question that perhaps you thought of when reading this story or perhaps you have never asked when reading this story.
And that question is “Before the ascension what blessing from the Resurrected Christ did the disciples receive?”
What did Jesus say? What did Jesus do? What did Jesus bless them with that would leave these disciples as joyful as they were and going to the temple regularly for worship?
Because we would not expect the disciples to leave this Encounter with the Resurrected Christ being joyful? No it would make more sense for them to be sad.
Remember they have lived and learned from Jesus for three and a half years, then they saw their Rabbi murdered and their hopes of His coming kingdom and overthrow of Rome demolished. Only then 48 hours later to be reunited with Jesus who now has conquered the grave. And from that point, a Risen Savior would appear to His disciples on and off multiple times, we are going to look at those occasions in coming weeks, but now Jesus is caught up and carried away into heaven. Gone from them for good. At their last encounter with the Resurrected Christ, why aren’t they crying? Why aren’t they sad at their separation from Jesus?
What has Jesus blessed them with that has made them joyful even in the midst of Jesus’ departure?
Well it just so happens Dr. Luke who writes this story in his gospel, goes into greater detail about this very encounter when he wrote the book of Acts. I don’t know, maybe Luke got some feedback as people heard his gospel read. Why Luke? Why are the disciples so happy after Jesus leaves them for good?
So Luke tells the story again in Acts chapter one and beginning in verse 4 .
And in this more detailed account we are going to see two blessings Jesus gives that explain the disciples joy and explain why they lived a life of worship.
As we look at these two blessings, I want to ask yourself if you’ve received these two blessings yourself and if they influence you to live a life of worship as well. If these blessings are a part of your life and motivate your lifestyle of worship — then I’d say you have Encountered the Resurrected Christ. If these blessings are missing from your life — then perhaps you need an introduction to or a reaquaintance with the Risen Savior.
Acts chapter 1 beginning in verse four, introduces the first blessing.
And while staying with them he ordered them not to depart from Jerusalem, but to wait for the promise of the Father, which, he said, “you heard from me;
for John baptized with water, but you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit not many days from now.”
Skipping to verse 8 . . .
But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth.”
Before Jesus leaves His disciples for good He provides them the blessing of a Helper — The Holy Spirit.
And this was not the first time the disciples had heard of this helper or that they might receive Him. Long before Jesus’ crucifixion, the disciples were hearing of a soon coming Helper.
“If you love me, you will keep my commandments.
And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Helper, to be with you forever,
even the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it neither sees him nor knows him. You know him, for he dwells with you and will be in you.
“I will not leave you as orphans; I will come to you.
The disciples were warned well in advance that a day was coming when Jesus would leave them, but they were not to be sad because a Helper would come. In fact, Jesus said it would be better for them for Christ to leave them in order that this Helper, the Holy Spirit could come.
John 16:5–11 (ESV)
Nevertheless, I tell you the truth: it is to your advantage that I go away, for if I do not go away, the Helper will not come to you. But if I go, I will send him to you.
And when he comes, he will convict the world concerning sin and righteousness and judgment:
concerning sin, because they do not believe in me;
concerning righteousness, because I go to the Father, and you will see me no longer;
concerning judgment, because the ruler of this world is judged.
Jesus told His disciples well before the Ascension that a Helper, the Holy Spirit, was coming and now that Christ is leaving for good He reminds the eleven of what they are about to receive, a blessing so important that it is to their advantage that He leaves them for good.
I don’t know about you church, but if I compare myself to the disciples somehow I believe they are more advantaged then me because they got to live with Jesus, see His miracles, and hear His sermons for three and a half years. But according to Jesus, I’m just as advantaged, and you are just as advantaged, as the disciples because as they have received the Holy Spirit, so too have we as Jesus disciples received the Holy Spirit.
Just as we saw last week that genuine Christians and caring churches can pave the way for our encounter with the Resurrected Christ , so too does the Holy Spirit pave the way for us to encounter Jesus as our Savior and Lord.
And just as we saw last week that genuine Christians and caring churches sustain us after we have encountered the Resurrected Christ, so too does the Holy Spirit sustain us after making Jesus our Savior and Lord.
You saw how just a few moments ago in the baptistry I prayed for Nancy to receive a greater baptism of the Holy Spirit. Prior to Nancy’s baptism, the Holy Spirit was working in her life convicting her of both sin and righteousness. Just as for many of you before your baptism, the Holy Spirit was convicting you of both sin and righteousness. Your sin and Jesus’ righteousness.
And now that Nancy has made that public delcaration through baptism that she is Christ’s disciple, the Holy Spirit moves into the life of the believer even more. Our bodies become the residence of the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit empowers us with gifts for ministry in the church. The Holy Spirit produces in our character fruits of love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, gentleness, and self control.
Oh what a blessing to have someone living in you, doing a work for you, changing you — a Helper in life. The Holy Spirit. No wonder the disciples left the Ascension with joy because the Spirit was soon to be poured upon them.
And you and I can leave this house of worship today, joyful as well. Joyful because we were witnesses to Nancy’s decision for Christ, and joyful because we can pray for the same outpouring of the Holy Spirit that I prayed for Nancy and that is a prayer that Jesus says will always be answered.
The Resurrected Christ tells us in Luke chapter eleven versus eleven to thirteen . . .
What father among you, if his son asks for a fish, will instead of a fish give him a serpent;
or if he asks for an egg, will give him a scorpion?
If you then, who are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will the heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to those who ask him!”
If you ask God to give you a Helper in life, the Holy Spirit, that is one prayer your Heavenly Father, who is a good, good Father, will indeed answer in the affirmative.
Blessing number one that the disciples then and the disciples now receive when encountering the Resurrected Christ — A Helper, the Holy Spirit.
But there is one more blessing that left the disciples joyful, praising the Lord that we must look at as well and be blessed by as well. Let’s look at the rest of the story, Acts 1:9-11
And when he had said these things, as they were looking on, he was lifted up, and a cloud took him out of their sight.
And while they were gazing into heaven as he went, behold, two men stood by them in white robes,
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.”
The disciples were blessed by the promise of a soon coming, Helper — the Holy Spirit and they were blessed by a hope of a soon coming Savior. The disciples were blessed with a hpe we have burning in our hearts, hope in the coming of the Lord. Blessed with a Helper (the Holy Spirit) and Blessed with a Hope (Christ’s Return).
This ascension was not the final goodbye, it was not sayonara, adios, auf wiedersehen . . . “This same Jesus, who was taken up from you into heaven, will so come in like manner [what manner is that? In and with clouds, over and over in Scripture the second coming of Christ always has Jesus returning in and with clouds. If someone tells you Jesus has returned and there are no clouds, do not believe, because the angels told the disciples in like Manner this same Jesus will return ]. . . as you saw Him go into heaven.”
There are no tears of sadness, because the disciples realize that while Jesus may be gone for good, they will once again see their friend face to face. Face to Face they shall behold Him. Face to Face in all His glory. They will see Him by and by.
And we shall as well. And that blessed hope of Christ’s return should make you joyful today as the disciples were. If you have encountered the Resurrected Christ, you should long to see your Savior Face to Face. Seeing your King in the clouds and hearing his voice, “Well done good and faithful servant. Come enter the joy of your Lord.” That should motivate us keep on this lifestyle of worship though it is not always easy.
And yet, I know for some thoughts of Jesus return do not bring you joy the ways it did the disciples nor others you may know. And if you aren’t looking forward to the soon coming of Christ, I’d have to ask you why?
I’m not going to judge you and say you have never met the Resurrected Christ if you don’t look forward to His return.
I know as a kid I didn’t always look forward to His return. I wanted to live my life on this earth — the marriage thing, the parenthood thing — let me get that under my belt first, then come Jesus. That’s probably natural for children.
And then I didn’t want Jesus to come in my lifetime because I learned from studying Bible prophecy that things get worse before Jesus comes. And that is scary. Who would want to live through that? So Jesus let me die before you come. That’s probably natural for anyone.
And then there were times I didn’t want Jesus to come in my lifetime because I was entangled with sin and addiction, living a double life, serving two masters and not knowing which won would win by the time Jesus arrived. So Jesus don’t come now until I can get victory. That’s probably natural for anyone who wants to do what is right but cannot do what is right. Anyone who is looking more at their failures than in Christ’s victory.
There are a lot of reasons for someone to wish that Jesus would come later and not now.
But hopefully, hopefully with maturity, with that Helper the Holy Spirit drawing you nearer to the ways of God and giving you a growing taste for what this world offers, hopefully with maturity, and the compassion and empathy that comes towards others who suffer as you taste suffering, hopefully with the sting of death as it takes loved ones, hopefully as you see the signs of the times being fulfilled and the sufferings of pestilences and disease (like Covid 19) the destruction of life and property with natural disasters, or the evil unleashed upon the innocent with wars and rumors of wars - something within you wants more and more and more to see Jesus return. How long? The heart cries. Even so come Lord Jesus. The heart cries.
Has your heart been crying that church as you watch the real time war between Russia and Ukraine playing out before our very eyes.
I’m a little younger than many of you and a little older than some of you. Some of you have lived during more wars than I have. I remember Sadam’s invasion of Kuwaiit and Desert Storm that followed. I remember hearing on the news talks about wars in Bosnia or about ethnic cleansing in Africa. I remember after 9/11 how the United States entered ward in Afghanistan and with Iraq. Every night seeing on the news the names of faces of our finest in the military fallen. I remember not too long ago awful wars happening in Syria.
Maybe I was too young, too preoccupied, too busy, too self absorbed to pay attention because I don’t remember those conflicts making my heart cry even so come Lord Jesus.
But what little I see of this present conflict . . . because I rarely if ever watch the news any more, I just get glimpses of what is happening online by articles, video clips and photography . . .
Mothers in Poland leaving baby strollers at the train station for incoming Ukranian mothers fleeing with their babies who hardly have anything with them, at least they can be welcomed into a new land with something for their children . . the sight of that makes my heart cry . . . even so come Lord Jesus.
To read social media posts where friends of mine who have adopted Ukrainian children from Ukrainian orphanages, who now tell of the terror of those children and orphanage workers are experiencing as their country is being bombed . . . it makes the heart cry . . . even so come Lord Jesus.
To see that orphanages and women’s hospitals have gotten in the cross hairs of a war that has no righteous cause, just aggression due to ambition and greed . . . it makes the heart cry . . . even so come Lord Jesus.
Let me ask you church what has your heart cried over this week more - the cost of a gallon of gas or the suffering of the innocent?
There is a joy in the coming of the Lord that the first disciples experienced and that disciples of Jesus today should have because the return of a resurrected Christ is the final permanent solution to end all war, all racism, all child abuse, all disease, all addiction, all abuse, all exploitation, all slavery, for all time.
The second coming of Jesus is not something to be fearful of it’s something to live a lifestyle of worship for. The only one who need to be fearful of His return, is the one who willfully refuses to admit their need for a Savior, who willfully refuses His gift of eternal life, and who willfully refuses the Lordship of Jesus Christ in their life.
But for those who have encountered the Resurrected Christ — even as our hearts break in this world — we can live with joy and in a lifstyle of worship because we have been blessed with the Help of the Holy Spirit and with the Hope of Jesus soon return.