LOOKING UP. Then he took them out on a hillside and ascended into heaven before their very own eyes. The scene is described by Luke this way:

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1 LOOKING UP Acts 1:1-11 INTRODUCTION Jesus ascended into heaven 40 days following his resurrection and 10 days before Pentecost. Jesus ascension is something that probably doesn t get enough attention in our churches or in our lives for that matter. I mentioned to my daughter that this Sunday is Ascension Sunday and that I thought I would preach on the Ascension, she responded by saying, That sounds like something the Catholic or Episcopal Church would do. We make a big deal in our churches about Christmas, Good Friday, and Easter and with great reasons. If Jesus wasn t born, He couldn t be our Savior. If Jesus didn t die for our sins, He couldn t be our Savior. If Jesus hadn t been raised from the dead, He couldn t be our Savior. But what about the ascension? In like manner, if Jesus hadn t ascended back into heaven, He couldn t be our Savior. So we need to see how the ascension of our Lord relates to our redemption. We need to see the importance of the Ascension of our Lord and even more importantly we need to make sure that we are receiving the benefits the Ascension into our lives and are living in light of it. Acts chapter 1 tells us that after the resurrection, Jesus taught his disciples about God s kingdom for forty days (Acts 1:3). These forty days were very important. During this time Jesus appeared to the disciples and gave them many infallible proofs that he was alive. Why forty days? We don t know for sure but we do know at the beginning of Jesus earthly ministry He was tempted 40 days in the wilderness by Satan. He was victorious then. Now after His resurrection he wanted to give His disciples absolute, indisputable proof that He was alive, to teach them more about the kingdom of God, and to give them the great commission. Then he took them out on a hillside and ascended into heaven before their very own eyes. The scene is described by Luke this way: Acts 1:9-11 NIV 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, May 13, 2018 Corntassel CP Church Page 1

2 will come back in the same way you have seen him go into heaven." As I have said, the ascension is essential for our salvation and for God s redemptive plan to be completed. Let s think about why this is so. First, the Ascension is essential because that is when Jesus was installed as the King of God s Kingdom. It is at the Ascension that Jesus was seated at the right hand of the Father. The view that Jesus is seated at the right hand of the Father is mentioned several times in the New Testament and is a picture of Jesus co-ruling over the kingdom with God the Father. We have several pictures of this in the Bible. Daniel was given a vision of this in Daniel 7 Daniel 7:13-14 NIV "In my vision at night I looked, and there before me was one like a son of man, coming with the clouds of heaven. He approached the Ancient of Days and was led into his presence. (14) He was given authority, glory and sovereign power; all nations and peoples of every language worshiped him. His dominion is an everlasting dominion that will not pass away, and his kingdom is one that will never be destroyed. In Revelation we see Jesus by the Father s right hand ruling the affairs of this world. Revelation 5:12-13 NIV In a loud voice they were saying: "Worthy is the Lamb, who was slain, to receive power and wealth and wisdom and strength and honor and glory and praise!" (13) Then I heard every creature in heaven and on earth and under the earth and on the sea, and all that is in them, saying: "To him who sits on the throne and to the Lamb be praise and honor and glory and power, for ever and ever!" Without the Ascension Jesus would not be on the throne as King of kings and Lord of lords. We are to worship Him, adore him, praise Him, and give Him our allegiance, because He is seated at the right hand of the Father as King. Secondly, He had to ascend to heaven in order to send the Holy Spirit to His people. May 13, 2018 Corntassel CP Church Page 2

3 After his resurrection Jesus told his followers, I am sending the promise of my Father upon you. But stay in the city until you are clothed with power from on high (Luke 24:49). In his Pentecost sermon Peter explains, Being therefore exalted at the right hand of God, and having received from the Father the promise of the Holy Spirit, he has poured out this that you yourselves are seeing and hearing (Acts 2:33). Next Sunday is Pentecost Sunday and we ll have more to say on the importance of this event then. But it is clear that apart from the Ascension and apart from Christ s being enthroned as King, Christ could not have sent the Holy Spirit. Third, the ascension is essential for Jesus to function as our Great High Priest in heaven for us. This is the message of the book of Hebrews. His High Priestly ministry is multifold. One, He offers His once-for-all sacrifice for our sins. Hebrews 7:27 NIV He sacrificed for [our] sins once for all when he offered himself. (10:12) But when this priest had offered for all time one sacrifice for sins, he sat down at the right hand of God, It is because of this sacrifice that we can have full forgiveness of sin. His sacrifice paid the penalty in full for our transgressions. His offering the sacrifice of His blood in the heaven temple is essential for our salvation. Also His high priestly ministry includes his intercession for us. Just as one of the functions of the earthly high priests was to intercede for God s people, Jesus intercedes for us. Hebrews 7:24-25 NIV but because Jesus lives forever, he has a permanent priesthood. (25) Therefore he is able to save completely those who come to God through him, because he always lives to intercede for them. Part of that intercession involves Him being our Advocate. John brings this out in I John 2:1 1 John 2:1 NIV My dear children, I write this to you so that you will not sin. But if anybody does sin, we have an advocate with the Father--Jesus Christ, the Righteous One. May 13, 2018 Corntassel CP Church Page 3

4 And because he is our high priest in heavenly He hears our prayers and He is sympathetic with our sufferings. Hebrews 4:14-16 NIV Therefore, since we have a great high priest who has ascended into heaven, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold firmly to the faith we profess. (15) For we do not have a high priest who is unable to empathize with our weaknesses, but we have one who has been tempted in every way, just as we are-- yet he did not sin. (16) Let us then approach God's throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need. During his earthly ministry Jesus s work was geographically limited he be in more than one place at a time.. But now he is at work everywhere and able to hear and respond to his people s prayers no matter the time or place. He sympathizes with our struggles and promises to do whatever we ask in his name. Without the Ascension Jesus couldn t be our heavenly High Priest, whose ministry is essential for our salvation. The fourth reason that the Ascension is essential is that the Ascension means he is coming back again. This is the message of the angels to the disciples on the day of Ascension. Acts 1:10-11 NIV 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." Jesus is coming again! Obviously Jesus had to go away before He could come back. This anticipation of Jesus returning should be built into our response to Jesus as our Lord and Savior. When he returns He will right all wrongs. He will abolish all sin and evil and make all things new. What a blessed hope we have. John preached the 2 nd Coming. Peter preached the 2 nd Coming. Paul preached the 2 nd Coming. All were looking for Jesus to return. How should this affect us? Paul sums it up in Titus: Titus 2:12-14 NIV It [the grace of God] teaches us to say "No" to ungodliness and worldly passions, and to live self- May 13, 2018 Corntassel CP Church Page 4

5 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, (14) who gave himself for us to redeem us from all wickedness and to purify for himself a people that are his very own, eager to do what is good. The Ascension is essential for Jesus 2 nd Coming to happen and the 2 nd Coming is essential for our receiving the full benefits of salvation that He purchased and planned for us. CONCLUSION: How should we respond to the Ascension? We should fall on our knees and acknowledge that Jesus is the King of kings and Lord of lords. We should worship and praise Him as the angels in heaven do. We should trust in his High Priestly ministry of offering His perfect sacrifice for our sins. We should go to Him in prayer as the one who can sympathize with our weaknesses and empathize with our struggles for He is acquainted with all our grief. And we should walk in the Spirit whom He has poured out upon each of us at salvation. Wow! Did you know that the Ascension was that important to your salvation? It truly is one of the greatest events in the life of Jesus. There is a story about a traveling salesman who stopped in to visit a church for the first time in a strange community. He was an emotional kind of fellow and he got carried away in the service. He even let out a little "Amen.: Several people turned around and looked at him rather sourly. He hung his head as if to say, "I'm sorry." The lady next to him whispered, "We just don't do that in our church." When the hymns were sung, this fellow forgot himself again and sang more loudly than the rest of the congregation combined. Again he could feel people looking at him with disapproval. After the service, nobody greeted him with much enthusiasm. No one expressed their pleasure that he was there. In fact, they all stood around with what he thought was a pained look on their faces. Finally he came to one brother who looked more accessible than the rest and said to him, "I'm sorry to say this, but this isn't a very warm church. What is it that you folks believe in?" The man replied firmly, "Oh, we believe in simply doing our duty and bearing our crosses until Christ returns." The salesman looked at the man's sour face and said, "Buddy, let me May 13, 2018 Corntassel CP Church Page 5

6 tell you one thing, if he's ever visited this church, he ain't ever coming back!" Luke s gospel ends the ascension story with these words: Then they worshiped him and returned to Jerusalem with great joy. Let us do the same. Let us look up to our Ascended Lord. Let us worship Him and let us go about serving Him with great joy. Amen? Amen! May 13, 2018 Corntassel CP Church Page 6