SERMON OF THE WEEK First Presbyterian Church of Honolulu at Ko olau February 15, 2009 The Rev. Dr. David C. Stoker Out of Sight - 1 Kings 2:1-18; Acts 1:1-11 I t has been an awesome week for the E100 readings. If you are a visitor, E100 stands for the essential 100 Bible stories we believe every Christ follower should have read. As a congregation we read those during the week, accompanied by a daily devotion staff members have written. Then on Sunday the preacher of the week gets to select what passage he desires as the sermon text. This week's options were awesome. I felt like a kid in a candy store! I could have preached on the upper room and the Last Supper. I could have preached on Judas and the betrayal of Jesus. There was the Garden of Gethsemane, the crucifixion, the Resurrection. But as I prayed and thought about these, it just didn't feel right preaching about Good Friday or giving an Easter message when it is not Holy Week. So I have done something very different. I have chosen the very last day of this week's E100. I have chosen to preach on the Ascension. I want us to look this morning at Jesus ascending into heaven the time when Jesus leaves earth. When we recite the Apostles Creed we say that phrase, He ascended into heaven. What does that mean? And why is it important? I greatly admire the writings of Philip Yancey. He tackles some difficult issues. Titles of his books include: Disappointment with God, Where is God When It Hurts?, and The Gift of Pain. His writings reveal his own doubts and struggles in trying to follow Jesus. One of his books is entitled, The Jesus I Never Knew. His chapter on the ascension of Jesus into heaven reminds us how difficult this subject can be. Yancey writes, "I have concluded, in fact, that the Ascension represents my greatest struggle of faith more than the problem of pain. For me what has happened since Jesus' departure strikes at the core of my faith. Would it not have been better if the Ascension had never happened? If Jesus had stayed on earth, He could answer our questions, solve our doubts, mediate our disputes." 1 Why did Jesus ascend into heaven? Why did He not simply remain on earth, and move among us as He did for the 40 days following Easter? What was the reason for the ascension? A boy approached his mother with a difficult question, "Mom, where did I come from?" She hemmed and hawed for a moment, not really wanting to discuss the birds and bees, so she responded, "A stork brought you to our front door." The boy left the kitchen and went to the living room where his grandmother was seated. "Grandma, where did my mom come from?" The grandmother, figuring it was the job of parents to discuss the birds and the bees with their children, responded, "Your mother was brought to me by a stork that delivered her to our front door." The boy went to his room and began to write his term paper on the family history: "Our family has not had a normal birth in three generations!" Every birth of a child is a miracle. Yet the miracle of birth happens often. Some miracles, however, happen only a few times.
T he miracle of ascension happens only two times in the Bible. Only two people ascended into heaven Jesus and Elijah. And more Bible verses are dedicated to the story of Elijah's ascension than Jesus' ascension. Have you ever noticed that there are not many ascension hymns in the Christian church? The one that probably comes to your mind is, "Swing Low Sweet Chariot" which is about Elijah's ascension, but there is not a single song to celebrate Jesus' ascension. A comparison of Elijah's and Jesus' ascension might help us appreciate why Jesus' ascension is important. Let me read them for you. 2 Kings 2: 1, 6-18 When the LORD was about to take Elijah up to heaven in a whirlwind, Elijah and Elisha were on their way from Gilgal. Then Elijah said to Elisha, "Stay here; the LORD has sent me to the Jordan." And he replied, "As surely as the LORD lives and as you live, I will not leave you." So the two of them walked on. Fifty men of the company of the prophets went and stood at a distance, facing the place where Elijah and Elisha had stopped at the Jordan. Elijah took his cloak, rolled it up and struck the water with it. The water divided to the right and to the left, and the two of them crossed over on dry ground. When they had crossed, Elijah said to Elisha, "Tell me, what can I do for you before I am taken from you?" "Let me inherit a double portion of your spirit," Elisha replied. "You have asked a difficult thing," Elijah said, "yet if you see me when I am taken from you, it will be yours otherwise not." As they were walking along and talking together, suddenly a chariot of fire and horses of fire appeared and separated the two of them, and Elijah went up to heaven in a whirlwind. Elisha saw this and cried out, "My father! My father! The chariots and horsemen of Israel!" And Elisha saw him no more. Then he took hold of his own clothes and tore them apart. He picked up the cloak that had fallen from Elijah and went back and stood on the bank of the Jordan. Then he took the cloak that had fallen from him and struck the water with it. "Where now is the LORD, the God of Elijah?" he asked. When he struck the water, it divided to the right and to the left, and he crossed over. The company of the prophets from Jericho, who were watching, said, "The spirit of Elijah is resting on Elisha." And they went to meet him and bowed to the ground before him. "Look," they said, "we your servants have fifty able men. Let them go and look for your master. Perhaps the Spirit of the LORD has picked him up and set him down on some mountain or in some valley." "No," Elisha replied, "do not send them." But they persisted until he was too ashamed to refuse. So he said, "Send them." And they sent fifty men, who searched for three days but did not find him. When they returned to Elisha, who was staying in Jericho, he said to 2 them, "Didn't I tell you not to go?" Acts 1: 1-11 In my former book, Theophilus, I wrote about all that Jesus began to do and to teach until the day He was taken up to heaven, after giving instructions through the Holy Spirit to the apostles He had chosen. After His suffering, He showed Himself to these men 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. 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. For John baptized with water, but in a few days you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit." So when they met together, they asked Him, "Lord, are you at this time going to restore the kingdom to Israel?" He said to them: "It is not for you to know the times or dates the Father has set by his own authority. 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." After he said this, Jesus was taken up before their very eyes, and a cloud hid Him from their sight. They were looking intently up into the sky as He was going, when suddenly two men dressed in white stood beside them.
M en 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.'" First let us consider what is different about the two ascensions. Elijah took only one disciple with him when he disappeared into heaven. He went to a secluded spot. In contrast, Jesus kept all His disciples with Him. His ascension was a very public event with many witnesses. Why did Jesus ascend so differently than Elijah? I think there was a very practical reason. Notice that when Elijah took only Elisha with him when the chariot came down from heaven and spirited Elijah away, the reaction of the rest of the prophets on seeing Elisha return alone was, Where has Elijah gone? When Elisha explained what had happened to Elijah, that he had ascended into heaven in a chariot, what was the reaction of the people? The Bible says 50 people went out looking for Elijah. "Where did he go? Perhaps God moved him to a remote place." They were not convinced that he was really gone for good. Contrast Elijah's story with what happened after Jesus' ascension. There was no search for Jesus after the ascension. Jesus ascended in such a public way that people knew it was a final good-bye. The disciples simply returned I to Jerusalem and waited. I think Jesus' ascension needed to be a public event because so many people had seen Jesus appear and disappear so many times over the last 40 days after the Easter. For 40 days Jesus had eaten food, gone for walks, and taught them. Jesus had a physical body, so that Thomas could touch Him, yet His resurrected body was different from his pre-easter body. Jesus could appear and disappear wherever He wanted. One moment He was in Jerusalem, the next in Galilee. He was with two disciples on the Emmaus Road, and then in the upper room in Jerusalem that same evening. After multiple appearances over the forty days following His resurrection, Jesus needed to prove once and for all that He was really going and would be gone. Otherwise, the disciples would simply assume He had disappeared for a while in order to reappear somewhere else. Jesus needed to say His final good-bye in a way that convinced them it was truly final. Good-byes are never easy. Years ago when Monica and I were dating we had been invited to a Saturday night party given by one of Monica's stock broker friends. It was out in a suburb of Washington, in Northern Virginia. You probably don't know this about me but I am not a whole lot of fun at Saturday night parties. I am thinking about church, the sermon, the next morning. 3 But we are dating each other and I don't want Monica to think I am a boring person. So we are at this party and it must be about 10pm and I say, Monica I really need to go. It will take us 45 minutes to get home. But I don't want to embarrass myself by cutting out at 10:00. I convince her that we will walk out on the deck like we are getting some air and then go around the side of the house and get in the car and leave. Monica didn't want to do it. She wanted to thank the host for having us and say all the proper good-byes, but she gave in. We get into my car. It was a Mazda RX7, stick shift. When I put it into reverse I accidentally nudge the car behind me. It was a fancy Porsche 911. And the auto burglar alarm goes off. Horn starts honking. Lights flashing. I peel off because the people in the party are starting to come out the front door to see if someone is trying to steal this expensive sports car. But I think we got away before anyone recognizes my Mazda. And then about three blocks away Monica says, You know you had me leave so suddenly, I left my purse back at the party. So we had to turn around and go back very embarrassed, not only that we had ditched the party early, but also that we had set off the burglar alarm on another car. Good-byes are not always easy. Was it difficult for Jesus to say his final good-bye to the disciples? Was there sadness in His eyes as He ascended?
I don't think so. It is what happened next that I find the most amazing part of the story of Jesus' ascension. In fact, it is surprisingly similar to the ascension story of Elijah. When Elijah departed, he asked his assistant Elisha if there was any last request. Elisha answered that he wanted to have the same power of God's Spirit that had guided Elijah's life. In fact, he wanted a double portion. So, as soon as Elijah was gone up into heaven, Elisha picked up the robe left behind and hit the water with the robe so that it dried up and allowed him to cross on dry land. This first miracle of Elisha was the same as the last miracle that Elijah had done earlier that day. The rest of the prophets saw what happened and recognized that Elisha had the Holy Spirit just as Elijah had. Just where we would expect all the prophets to have tears and great sadness because Elijah was gone, we find instead confidence and joy, because God's Holy Spirit had fallen upon Elisha. So it is with the disciples of Jesus. Luke recorded in Acts 1 that they returned to Jerusalem and they were excited at what Jesus had said was going to happen next. Jesus' last words were a promise. Acts 1:8 "You will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes upon you." So instead of searching for Jesus, they returned to wait for the Holy Spirit. While the practical reason for the ascension of Jesus was to say a final good-bye after all the resurrection appearances, the real purpose was a promise and a charge. (Promise) But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; (Charge) and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth. Instead of looking back tearfully at all the wonderful things Jesus had done, rearview mirror looking, Jesus had them look forward to an exciting future. Jesus said that they will carry on the work He had started. While Jesus was on earth, He could only be one place at one time. But now Jesus would be reproduced in the lives of His disciples and followers. You and I are to reproduce the works of Jesus in the power of His Spirit. You and I are Jesus' hands and feet. The ascension is so important. The ascension is really the transition from Jesus to the Holy Spirit. Wouldn't it have been better for Jesus to remain here on earth and answer our questions and continue to heal people? The answer is No! Jesus left because He wants each of us to experience the Holy Spirit and to be His hands and feet in mission, in teaching, in preaching, in healing. And the ascension forces a very important question for each follower of Jesus. Have we 4 experienced the anointing of God's Holy Spirit so that we can continue the works Jesus performed? Have we asked the Holy Spirit to fill and guide us to do what Jesus would do? Unfortunately, too many Christians know very little about the Holy Spirit. Twenty years ago Billy Graham wrote a book about the Holy Spirit. In that book he described his discussions with both Protestant and Catholic leaders. When he asked the Pope what was the most important area of faith for our generation the answer was, "the doctrine of the Holy Spirit." When he asked Professor Karl Barth what was most important for our theology today the answer was, "the Holy Spirit." What is your image, your understanding of the Holy Spirit? For many across our land the first time they thought about the Holy Spirit was when they heard the phrase, "Luke, use the Force" from the popular movie, Star Wars. When Christians talk about the Holy Spirit, are we talking about the cosmic Force of Star Wars? Is the force in Star Wars an accurate portrayal of the Holy Spirit? Is it appropriate for a Christian to say, "David, use the Spirit? Here is the problem with the phrase, "David, use the Spirit." The Holy Spirit is not an it or an impersonal force that we can use. In the New Testament the Holy Spirit is described as a person. The difference is that we relate to a person, but a force is something we use.
W e use things, but we relate to people. If the Holy Spirit is no more than an "It" then we are free to use it. But if the Holy Spirit has personality, then we are challenged to meet and dialogue with this Third Person of the Trinity of God. And Jesus says in John 14:17, "He abides with you, and He will be in you." Jesus is asking us to develop a relationship with the Holy Spirit. And as we develop that relationship we will sense the Spirit of God leading us. Bill Hybels, pastor of the Willow Creek Church wrote these words recently: I had been on the road for a series of speaking engagements one winter when I decided to head out alone to eat breakfast and to spend a few minutes being still before God. It was blustery and cold that morning, but I remember feeling warmed by God's presence while I whispered a prayer as I crossed the street to enter the café. Just for today, God, I will do whatever you ask me to do. Just for today. I didn't want to over-promise and underdeliver, so I took the safe route. Figured I would keep the bar low. 'One day. Just this day. Whatever you ask, God.' That was the deal. A hot meal, several cups of coffee, and 45 minutes later, I was walking back toward my car, bracing against the blowing snow. Almost audibly, I received a prompting from God. These don't necessarily flow into my life in a steady stream, but on that particular day, it happened. 'Turn around,' the Holy Spirit prompted me. So, as you might expect, I kept right on walking. To my dismay, his voice wasn't subdued by my refusal. 'Turn around,' He prompted again. I remembered that less than one-hour prior, I had promised God that I would be available to him for that entire day. How could I refuse his leading so soon after I'd made such a clear commitment? I turned to look behind me and saw absolutely nothing there. 'See, God?' I sneered. But as I wheeled back around, I saw an elderly woman, probably 85 years old at least-who had been dropped off by a city bus on the corner a few feet in front of me. She was obviously out to take care of some shopping but was stymied by a tall snow bank blockading the entrance to the first store on her list of stops. ' How are you going to get over that snowbank?' 'It's gonna be tough unless you help me, sonny,' she said without missing a beat. I kicked the snow bank down some and found inches-thick ice underneath. Even clutching my arm, there was no way she could step across the bank without slipping. 'Ma'am, I'm not sure how to tell you this, but the only way I can help you is to lift you over this thing.' She paused for a moment. 'Well, I can't stay here all day! Lift away, but you'd better be careful with me.' As gently as I could, I 5 lifted her over the snow bank, set her down just outside the store entrance, and then asked about her transportation once she had finished her errands. 'I'll be just fine, sonny,' she said with a frail hand on my shoulder. 'Thank you for helping me. You're a nice young man.' I watched her enter the store and continued heading toward my car, still shivering from the wind. It occurred to me as I drove toward the location of my first speaking engagement that the simple act of meeting someone's immediate need that morning would likely be the best thing I did all day. During a few moments at a stoplight, now in the heated comfort of my car, I speculated about how it all unfolded. Here was God sitting up there observing one of his fragile and aging daughters who needed help on a frigid winter morning. He knew of this semi-strong, strapping young son (if I do say so myself) who was in the same vicinity. And so he sent a message through the Spirit to alert the son to the need. Sure, it got goofed up and ignored along the way, but finally it came through loud and clear. 'Turn around!' He had urged. And finally I had turned around. In a nutshell, that was the extent of what happened that day. God chose to use me to meet a practical need. And I saw as a follower of Christ, I need to be aware of God's activity in this world and to be willing for Him to use me in accomplishing some part of it, be it large or small.
J esus ascended into heaven and made available to each Christ follower the Holy Spirit. Each one of us needs to meet the Holy Spirit and enter into a relationship with Him. Let us pray. Father, we thank You that Jesus came to this earth to reveal who You are. To let us know how we are to treat each other, love each other. He came to forgive us of our sins. But thank You for this reminder this morning from Acts chapter 1 that He ascended into heaven, so that each one of us could be in relationship with your Holy Spirit. Come Holy Spirit, rain down on us. Fill us, so that we could know your ways, and be the persons our heavenly Father created us to be. We pray in the strong name of Jesus. Amen. Please Note: The Rev. Dr. David Stoker is the Executive Pastor of First Presbyterian Church of Honolulu. This sermon may also be viewed and heard on our church website: www.fpchawaii.org 6