Word of Salvation – Vol. 43 No. 10 – March 1998

 

The Continuing Blessing of the Ascension

 

An Ascension Sermon by Rev. P. Abetz on Luke 24:50-53

Scripture Readings: Luke 24:44-53;
            and either Ephesians 1:15-23 or Acts 1:1-11

Suggested Hymns: BoW 328; 332; 326; 334

 

Brothers and Sisters in our Lord Jesus Christ.

Introduction

Christmas and Easter are two events in the Christian calendar which most Christians consider fairly important, and throughout the ages, Christians have celebrated these events.  But when it comes to Ascension Day – the day that our Lord Jesus ascended into heaven – most of our fellow Christians in Australia today would not be so sure just when that is.  Whilst in some European countries, Ascension Day is still a public holiday.

The Ascension is 40 days after Easter, and Pentecost is 50 days after Easter.  While knowing the sequence of events is very helpful, it is even more important to know the significance of each of the events in the Christian calendar.  Sadly, many church-going people are not really aware of the significance of the ascension.  Some people even claim that it doesn't make that much difference whether we believe in the ascension of Jesus into heaven or not.

Let us first establish...

1.  THE FACT OF THE ASCENSION...

            from Scripture.  In the final chapter of Luke's gospel we have recorded for us the fact that after his resurrection Jesus appeared a number of times to the disciples and that "he opened their minds so that they could understand the Scriptures" (vs.45).  Then He promised them He would send what his Father had promised, and that they would be clothed with power from on high.

Having said these things to them, he took his disciples out to the vicinity of Bethany.  There, while he was blessing them, "he left them and was taken up into heaven" (vs.52).

This is very similar to what Luke records in Acts 1:9, where he very plainly writes, “After he said this, he was taken up before their very eyes and a cloud hid him from their sight."  The ascension of Jesus is part of the historical reality of the life and ministry of Jesus.

Jesus had appeared and disappeared a number of times since his resurrection.  But it seems that the disciples all knew that his disappearing this time was different.  Now they would no longer see him!  That is why they stood staring into the sky!  They knew that Jesus would not meet them walking along the beach again, nor join them in the upper room.

Their relationship with Jesus would now be different.  Just how different they would not fully realise until after Pentecost, ten days later.

Let us now look at the details that Luke gives us surrounding the ascension.  As we do so, we see very clearly... 

2.  THE BLESSING OF THE ASCENSION

            Notice that Jesus led them out to the vicinity of Bethany.  Notice, too, that Jesus led them.  The implication is clear: the disciples were committed to following Jesus.  Where he led, they would now follow.  Jesus had just commissioned his disciples to go and make disciples of all nations, or as John puts it, "As the Faiher has sent me, even so I send you."  And now the task which Jesus had come to do, namely, to make the message of salvation known, was being handed over to the disciples.  And so Jesus was ready to depart and return to His Father.

But He was not prepared to make a huge public spectacle of his departing from the earth and going to be with his Father again.  He wanted to do this in the privacy and in the context of the intimacy of the disciples.  So he led them outside Bethany, which is near the Mount of Olives.

Exactly where Jesus led them, Luke does not tell us.  But he does tell us that Jesus lifted up his hands and blessed the disciples, and that it was while he was blessing them, that he was taken up.  This is tremendously encouraging.  Jesus left in the stance of blessing his disciples.  They would be left for the rest of their lives with that glorious picture of their Master's lifted up hands, blessing them!

The angel told them (in Acts 1) that Jesus would return in exactly the same way that he left.  So when he comes again, he will come with blessing for his people.  But more significantly, the implication is that throughout all the time that Jesus will be with the Father until his coming again, he will continually be blessing his church.

There are many references in the letters of Paul as to the blessings that flow to us from the ascended Christ.  Ephesians 2:6 says, "And God raised us up with Christ and seated us with him in the heavenly realms in Christ Jesus...!"  Yes, in spirit we are already now seated with Jesus at the right hand of the Father.  That is truly staggering!  And Jesus pleads our cause before the Father's throne.  To the ascended Christ, all authority in heaven and on earth has been given!

Knowing now that their Master had ascended into heaven to be with the Father, and knowing that they would soon receive power from on high, Luke tells us that...

3.  THE DISCIPLES RESPOND IN WORSHIP

Out there in the fields of Bethany, they broke forth into worship.  Not worship of the Father, but of Jesus the son of God, their Redeemer and Lord.  No matter what doubts they may have had during his earthly ministry, now they knew for absolutely certain: Jesus was divine!  So it was only natural that they broke out in worship.

Their hearts were filled with great joy and comfort, rather than sadness and grief.  For now they understood that the earthly mission of their Master had come to completion.  His ascension was the consummation of his earthly ministry.

Paul writes in Philippians 2:9, "therefore God exalted Him to the highest place and gave him the name that is above every name."  Hidden in this text is the glorious reality that Jesus was taking his human nature with him into heaven, which effectively guarantees our redemption.  Jesus was not escaping from the earth.  Rather, he was the first-fruit entering into heaven!

No wonder the disciples broke forth into worship right there in the fields of Bethany!

From those fields of Bethany they moved to the temple, and there they gathered day by day praising God.  The temple is a most significant place in the Old Testament setting.  The temple was where God met with His people.

Luke's gospel begins with the story of Zechariah in the temple, and it finishes with the disciples in the temple.  The gospel began at what was the very heart of the old Jewish faith – the temple.

If the vast chasm between sinful man and Almighty and Holy God were ever to be bridged – it would be in the temple.

In the holy of holies, or the inner sanctuary, God was present in a very special way.  The High Priest was the only one allowed in there, and then only once a year as part of the Day of Atonement sacrifices.  And even the High Priest was only allowed in there after undergoing special purification rites.

When Jesus died on the cross, the temple curtain which screened the inner sanctuary was torn in two from top to bottom, thus indicating that ordinary people now had access to the inner sanctuary.  Ordinary people now had access to God.  Thus we see that the saving work of Jesus Christ, allows man and God to be reunited.

My friends, have you taken hold of the way to make things right between yourself and God?  There is only one way: the way of repentance and faith.  And as you continue to repent, and as you continue to live in a faith relationship with God, you will be part of the community of His people.

In a sense, we, too, need to travel to the temple for worship.  You need not travel down to Jerusalem to be in the temple.  For now there is a new temple.  For no longer is the dwelling of God in a building of stone.  It is now in the very hearts of people.  And so the community of God's people, who have been reunited with him through faith in Jesus, is the temple.

Since the saving work of Jesus, the place to meet with God is no longer the temple but amongst those people who have faith in Jesus' saving work.  For those who believe in Jesus Christ, life takes on a new reality.  God's Word comes alive, and they delight to be part of the rejoicing community of God's redeemed people.  And their passion is the gospel.

My friends, does this describe you?  Do you delight to gather with God's redeemed people?  Is the gospel message your passion?

Conclusion

It is on this note of excitement that Luke finishes his gospel account.  It is really not a close to the story of the gospel.  It is simply the close of Jesus' earthly ministry.  His ministry now continues through his people.  That is the story of Acts.  And in a very real sense, that should be our story, too.

The disciples had to wait another ten days before the Holy Spirit was poured out.  But then they would take on the world!

Brothers and sisters, because our Lord Jesus ascended into heaven, we, too, can take on the world – for we are God's redeemed people.  We have been enlisted by God himself to be involved in writing the current chapters of the advance of His gospel.

Amen.