Hebrews 2:7; You made him a little lower than the angels; you crowned him with glory and honor.

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1 Introduction In the final chapter of Mark Jesus rises from the grave; appears to many witnesses, commands the disciples to preach the good news to every creature and then ascends into heaven. Last week we took a brief look into the merits for the inclusion or the exclusion of verses Now we will look at the implications of a risen and ascended Savior (19-20). We learn in the New Testament that 40 days after His resurrection, Jesus ascended into Heaven (Acts 1:3). Jesus appeared to witnesses to whom He also presented Himself alive after His suffering by many infallible (or unmistakable) proofs, being seen by them during forty days and speaking of the things pertaining to the kingdom of God. This is the only reference in the New Testament of the length of time between Christ s resurrection and ascension. In obedience to Christ s commands a few committed disciples are given the task of world evangelism. William MacDonald writes; As the population explodes, the task increases, But the method is always the same--devoted disciples with unlimited love for Christ who count no sacrifice too great for Him. The Servant s Coronation (v.19) Mark 16:19 (NKJV) So then, after the Lord had spoken to them, He was received up into heaven, and sat down at the right hand of God. The ascension of Jesus not simply a post-script or theological afterthought. The ascension of Jesus is recorded here; Luke 24:50-51 and Acts 1:9-11. In Acts 1:1-2 Luke writes; In the first book, O Theophilus, I have dealt with all that Jesus began to do and teach until the day he was taken up ; the ascension of Jesus means the ministry continues... Did Jesus literally ascend into heaven? Now when He had spoken these things, while they watched, He was taken up, and a cloud received Him out of their sight (Luke 1:9); Acts 1 uses four Greek words to describe the ascension; He was taken up (v.9); a cloud received him out of their sight (v.9); he went up (v.10); and is taken up from you into heaven (v.11). The four statements are significant since the angel predicts that his second coming will be in the same way; literal, physical, visible and with clouds. Hebrews 2:7; You made him a little lower than the angels; you crowned him with glory and honor. The return of Jesus to heaven was marked by glory and honor and triumph. The Lord Jesus is the King of Heaven. Jesus told His own disciples in John 14 that He would return to His Father s house. 1

2 The ascension of Jesus marked the completion of his earthly ministry and the beginning of his new ministry in Heaven as High Priest and Advocate of His people (Hebrews 7-10). To sit at the right hand of God is to sit in the place of honor, dignity, and authority. Jesus is pictured at the right hand of the Father in both Old and New Testaments; Psalm 110:1; Matthew 22:44; Luke 20:43-43; Romans 8:34. The Bible teaches the fact of Christ s ascension; evidence of His arrival into Heaven; and the meaning or significance of His ascension. What can the Christian know based on the ascension? A real God exists. Jesus was raised from the dead and ascended received into heaven by the supernatural power of God! The ascended Lord sends the Holy Spirit for power from on high (Luke 24:49). Jesus is God s Son. Heaven is a real place. The Gospel is true. The Great Commission is the call and mission of believers. Let s connect the dots. Jesus has ascended into Heaven; he is gone; He is no longer here (at least in the way he was here-- bodily, physically). If the Gospel is to be carried to every living creature (v.15); believers must do the work. Jesus is the one who gave the Great Commission (Matt.28:19-20); and demands that the Commission be fulfilled. The ascension assures us that the power and resources will be made available to do just that; Peter preached at Pentecost; 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). The Old Testament prophet Joel wrote; I will pour out My Spirit on all flesh and this promise is fulfilled by the exalted heavenly Jesus. We have a special helper in Heaven; who genuinely loves us; who completely cares for us; Jesus--the one touched by the feelings of our infirmities, One who was in all points tempted like we are, yet without sin (Heb.4:15). The Bible pictures Jesus as the last Adam and the head of the new creation; the Head of the Body; the Great Shepherd of His Sheep; the true Vine in relation to the Branches and the Chief Cornerstone in relation to the Church. Jesus is also pictured as the High Priest of a royal priesthood; and the Bridegroom to His Bride. All of these figures are full of meaning in relation to His present work in Heaven in the throne-room of God. The writer of Hebrews (8:1-2) paints a picture of Jesus as High Priest in the true tabernacle on High where Jesus ministers on behalf of those who belong to Him on the earth! 2

3 Now this is the main point of the things we are saying (chapter 7); we have such a High Priest, who is seated at the right hand of the throne of the Majesty in the heavens, (2) a Minister of the sanctuary and of the true tabernacle which the Lord erected, and not man. Jesus is our High Priest; superior to Aaron. The writer of Hebrews argues a superior priest and a superior covenant. Superior because our Priest is in Heaven and not on the earth. The fact that Jesus was received into Heaven by His Father is proof that His work on Earth was accepted and completed. Jesus is calling both Jew and Gentile into one new Body. Because Jesus is the High Priest He is the One who bestows spiritual gifts through His Holy Spirit. In the New Testament a gift is a divine power or enablement manifested in and through the Believer by the Holy Spirit. The ascended Jesus as Priest lives to make intercession for His own. Jesus appears for His own in the Presence of His Father. In that sense Jesus continues the work of advocating on our behalf. What are the heavenly ministries of Jesus? Jesus enables His people to do His will (Hebrews 13:20-21). What is His will? In this context I think it relates back to the Great Commission (v.15). Jesus will bestow gifts by His Holy Spirit. These gifts are in part mentioned in Romans 12:3-8; 1 Corinthians 12:4-11; but each Believer is given a gift; but the blessing and power will be experienced in direct proportion to the Believer s willingness to yield to God in accordance to His plans. There is little need for exhortation to the one who lives a life of submission and cooperation to His Holy Spirit. What does the ascended Lord do? He serves as a High Priest in Heaven. He secures and bestows spiritual gifts; and he intercedes as Priest and ever lives to make intercession! In John 17:9 Jesus said, I pray for them. I do not pray for the world but for those whom You have given Me, for they are yours. The work of intercession is related to the weakness, and helplessness, and immaturity of the Saints! Jesus knows our limitations! Jesus knows that we have clever, subtle, powerful, enemies. The priestly ministry of Jesus in Heaven is not only effectual but unending. The Jewish priests failed because they died; but our Lord ever lives; with an unchanging priesthood; Wherefore he is able to save them to the uttermost (without end) that come to him, seeing he ever lives to make intercession for them (Hebrews 7:25). Think about the ministry of Jesus in Heaven. Jesus now appears for His own in the presence of His Father. The Apostle John addressed the issue of sin in the life of the believer; 1John 1:8-9; If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in. (9) If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. 3

4 What is the effect of sin on the Christian? It robs us of peace and joy and fellowship--with each other and the Lord. We experience restoration on the basis of confession! We confess based on the Holy Character of God. An advocate is one who pleads the case of another in Open Court. Jesus appears in heaven for His own (Hebrews 9:24) when we sin (1 John 2:1). The pleading is said to be with the Father; and Satan is there--never ceasing to accuse the brethren night and day before God (Rev.12:10). To the Christian the sin might seem minor, inconsequential, insignificant. But a Holy God never treats sin lightly. It may be a secret on earth but it is an open scandal in heaven (see Lewis Sperry Chafer p.74). The Disciples Compliance (v.20a) 20And they went out and preached everywhere... The disciples watched Jesus ascend into Heaven. But their attention soon turned and had as its focus the preaching of the Gospel. Jesus had said (v.15); Go into all the world and preach the gospel to every creature. We might think of this as the Divine Directive. Jesus is at work; calling a people to form a body; and then indwelling, empowering, and sanctifying the people to be witnesses of Jesus to the ends of the earth. For what purpose? In the end--to serve as Christ s constant companion throughout eternity. Our directive: Go. Our Mission: Preach the gospel. C.S. Lewis said, Jesus Christ did not say, Go into the world and tell the world that is quite right! Jesus gives our marching orders (v.15) GO. We immediately ask where? William Booth s motto: Go for souls. Go for souls, and go for the worst. William Bramwell sensed the urgency and wrote; How is it that the soul being of such value, and God so great, eternity so near and yet we are so little moved? The poet John Donne cried, Christ beats his drum, but he does not press men; Christ is served with volunteers....they went out and preached everywhere. 4

5 When Jesus said go--they preached everywhere (eventually). They started in Jerusalem. I read an interesting statistic; one half of all people who have ever lived are alive today. According to the Bureau of Statistics the world s population has risen from two to seven billion people in the last eighty-five years! As the population explodes so does the need to preach the gospel to every creature. Many years ago a missionary went to a primitive, pagan society. She became burdened for a young wife and eventually the Lord used her to win the woman to Christ. Almost as soon as the woman was saved she expressed sorrow and grief. I wish you could have come sooner, so my little boy could have been saved. When the missionary asked why it was too late, the mother replied, Because just a few weeks before you came to us, I offered him as a sacrifice to the gods of our tribe! We have all eternity to tell of victories won for Christ, but we have only a few hours before sunset to win them. Matthew 16:18; And I also say to you that you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of Hades shall not prevail against it. The world is a very big place. We have a lot of options. According to the United Nations there are 223 political countries (they don t see Boulder as a separate State--but we know better). Within the world, according to some estimates there are 16,750 people groups still unreached by the Gospel or by a Christian Witness or Testimony. A group exists within countries and are set apart by a common language, religion, ethnicity, residence, occupation, class or caste system. You can begin in your world. Your family. Your neighborhood. Your friends. There are 3,000,000 Shilha in Morocco (who are Muslims/ Animists). There are 46,000 Karre in Central Africa. 10,000 Cairo dump dwellers. 5,000,000 Yemenis in North Yemen. 20,000,000 Sudanese in Indonesia. The list goes on and on. At least 1 Billion people on the earth have never even heard the name Jesus. Another Billion are in the grip of Hinduism; another Billion Islam; 4 out of every 5 people die lost in their sins. We are asked to do an impossible task, but we work with Him who can do the impossible (Hudson Taylor). The Servant and Saints Companionship (v.20b)...the Lord working with them and confirming the word through the accompanying signs. Amen. 5

6 The Disciples witnessed the resurrected Jesus ascend into Heaven yet they understood that Jesus remained with them; the Lord working with them and confirming the word through the accompanying signs. The church has taken a little detour. Some in the Church seek the signs and wonders and have neglected the preaching of the Gospel. It has gotten to the point where there is such a preoccupation with power, signs, wonders, that the gospel has not only been neglected but perverted. In the New Testament the only place where Jesus talks about signs and wonders is in chapter 4: there in verse 48 Jesus says; Unless you people see signs and wonders you will by no means believe. This was not a command to seek signs and wonders--but rather to believe. Signs and Wonders do not produce faith; they do not produce confidence in God. Jesus made that clear in Matthew 12:39; An evil and adulterous generation seeks after a sign, and no sign will be given it except the sign of the prophet Jonah. Jesus had said, I will never leave you. The task of the Great Commission is confirmed by the Lord s working through the Disciple s ministry. Jesus worked on earth and continues to work in Heaven. When the disciples preached they still understood that Jesus was in the audience. Conclusion How can the Church fulfill Christ s command? In a word: obedience. Obedience is the one qualification for further vision. Do you lack confidence or vision for what God wants from you and for you? Then take the step of obedience. Go and proclaim the Gospel. G. Campbell Morgan was preaching from the text; I am with you always. He called it a promise. A lady come up to him later and said, That is not a promise it is a fact. David Livingstone was in great danger in Africa. By flickering candlelight he read these words; Lo, I am with you. Then he said, That settles it. These are the words of Gentlemen of sacred honor. I will trust him and not be afraid. God brought Livingstone through his troubles and years later as he spoke in England he said, the thing that sustained me all those years in Africa were the words, Lo, I am with you. When Jesus spoke the words of the Great Commission it seemed an impossible task. But in one short generation the gospel was brought to Judea, Samaria, Rome, Spain, India, Africa. Billy Graham said, We are the Bibles the world is reading; 6

7 We are the Creeds the world is needing; We are the Sermons the world is heeding. If you spread the Gospel; Jesus will spread the salvation. Rene Padilla: The task of the evangelist in communicating the gospel is not to make it easier, so that people will respond positively, but to make it clear. Neither Jesus nor his apostles ever reduced the demands of the gospel in order to make converts. No cheap grace, but God s kindness which is meant to lead to repentance, provides the only solid basis for discipleship. Think about it. God is in the people saving business. And His chosen method; using people. All kinds of people in all walks of life. I recently read the story of a medical doctor named Chris Edwardson. He wrote in a Christian Magazine (the Pentecostal Evangel); One day a judge came into my office. I asked him what he was really in for because his leg cast didn t need to be checked. He said, I just thought maybe you give me a reason to live. He broke down and cried. I led him to the Lord. I asked him what prompted him to tell me that. He said, When you walked into the room, I saw something in your eyes that told me you had what I wanted. Something told me you knew the answer to life. I look in men s faces all day long, judging the truth. I could see that you believed with all your heart that what you were telling me was true. It was enough to convince me I needed it. In brief what does the ascension mean? It means the work of Jesus continues today. It means the Holy Spirit is sent for power and provision. It means our Savior is enthroned in heaven. It means the Father and the Son have experienced a sweet reunion. It means the Lord Jesus is our mediator and High Priest. It means that our Lord Jesus will return as both Judge and King. But what does it mean for our lives? It means a genuine active living Jesus engaged in our lives. It means we can live with a fresh boldness; as servants of an exalted King. We can with Paul know that our work and labors are not a waste of time (see 1 Corinthians 15:58). We can know that Jesus is not apathetic or indifferent or unconcerned with our struggles. Jesus is a merciful and sympathetic counselor and mediator; who hears our prayers and has all authority in Heaven. We have hope--we have hope. Doug Groothuis said, we can take the whole Bible to the whole world. I like that. The ascended Jesus will return as Judge and King. He will abolish injustice, he will right every wrong; he will end suffering and destroy death and establish a kingdom of truth and righteousness and love. And what is the icing on the cake? We will be with our King forever and ever Amen. 7