We’ve been looking at stories where the resurrected Christ appeared to His followers. We have not studied them all of them; only some. Here is a full listing is in your sermon notes.
Mary Magdalene – John 20:11-18
Peter – Luke 24:34
Two Disciples on the Road to Emmaus – Luke 24:13-35
The Disciples (Thomas Absent) – John 20:19-23
The Disciples Including Thomas – John 20:24-29
Seven Disciples at the Sea of Galilee – John 21:1-14
The Eleven in Galilee (Great Commission) – Matthew 28:16-20
More Than 500 Believers at Once – 1 Corinthians 15:6
The Apostles at the Ascension – Acts 1:6-11
We have one more story to look at today–the day the resurrected Jesus appeared to His disciples and then ascended to heaven. And I want to consider why His ascension is a good thing.
Acts 1:6-11
6 So when the apostles were with Jesus, they kept asking him,
“Lord, has the time come for you to free Israel and restore our kingdom?”
7 He replied, “The Father
alone has the authority to set those dates and times, and they are not for you
to know. 8 But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes upon
you. And you will be my witnesses, telling people about me everywhere—in
Jerusalem, throughout Judea, in Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.”
9 After saying this, he was
taken up into a cloud while they were watching, and they could no longer see
him. 10 As they strained to see him rising into heaven, two
white-robed men suddenly stood among them. 11 “Men of Galilee,” they
said, “why are you standing here staring into heaven? Jesus has been taken from
you into heaven, but someday he will return from heaven in the same way you saw
him go!”
It is fitting that this year Ascension Sunday coincides with Graduation Sunday, because there may be some ways the emotions of both events intersect. Graduation is often a time of tearful emotions for many reasons. Graduation is both an end and a beginning. It is the end of many years of striving and learning; it is the culmination of much hard work, many successes, and possibly a few failures. It is saying goodbye to one era of life, but also welcoming the beginning of a new adventure and new ways to learn, grow, and mature. Graduation is the natural progression of a healthy child turning into a young adult and “putting away childish things” in order to walk bravely into the future clothed in wisdom, purpose, and responsibility.
As a parent whose last child graduated just one year
ago–making Kelly and I empty nesters–I am keenly aware of the bittersweet joy that comes for parents when a child
graduates.
The Disciples may have had similar emotions as they watched
Jesus ascend into Heaven. Here was a man they followed faithfully for 3 years–dedicating their lives to
Him and the Kingdom they hoped He would establish. They saw Him brutally
executed on a cross, buried in a tomb, and remarkably rise to life again on the
third day.
All of this–especially the last part with the resurrected
Jesus appearing many times over 40 days–was joyful and overwhelming. And
now, Jesus ascends to Heaven to sit on the right hand of the throne of
God. Just as graduation is the natural progression of a child growing
into adulthood, Jesus' ascension to sit on the throne in Heaven is the natural
progression of the Lord of all now that He has fulfilled His earthly purposes.
When you think of a graduating son or daughter, part of you
(as a parent) wants them to stay a “child” forever. But that would be as
unnatural as an infant that never graduates from drinking milk to eating solid
food. And thus it is for Jesus Christ. He is Lord of all the
universe—King of kings and Lord of lords, the Son of the Living God. It would be unnatural for Jesus to not be sitting on the throne up in the
Kingdom of Heaven.
So as much as the Disciples may have wanted Jesus to remain
with them on earth forever, perhaps their hearts also swelled with pride to see their Lord ascend into
heaven to take His rightful place on the throne.
While Jesus was with them, the disciples kept asking, “Lord, has the time come for you to free Israel and restore our kingdom?” This wording reveals a subtle error in their thinking–one that often creeps into our own thoughts in this life. The Disciples were Jews from Israel–a proud people who wanted independence for their nation. They wanted Jesus to “free Israel and restore their Kingdom.”
As for us, we may not be so concerned with the restoration
of Israel, we have our own “kingdoms” we want restored. For some it is
the kingdom of our health. For others, it is the kingdom of Family
relationships and marriage, or maybe financial stability and security. Or we may want peace of mind and emotional well-being, purpose, meaning, and
hope for the future. All of these are good things, and ultimately Christ
may restore the blessings of each of these (but always in His perfect timing). We do not know the day or the hour when our prayers for these blessings will be
answered.
Jesus reminded His disciples (and us) not to get caught up
in worrying about when our prayers will be answered. He sends us His Holy
Spirit to empower us to be witnesses who tell people about Jesus–in our own
neighborhoods, in our community, and even to the ends of the earth.
After saying these things, Jesus ascended to heaven. Picture that for a moment…
The disciples watched Jesus go up to heaven in a
cloud. They watch for a long time, until they could no longer see
him. Still the gazed up into heaven for a long time.
Two angels had to rouse them from their staring. They told them something
that defines one of the core teachings of Christianity: “Jesus has been
taken from you into heaven, but someday he will return from heaven in the
same way you saw him go!
We recite our belief in this every Sunday in the Apostles’
Creed: “I believe… He ascended into Heaven to sit at the right hand of God the Father, almighty and will come again to judge the living and the
dead.”
So we believe Jesus will return. He is
coming! And we should work to be ready, because we do not know when that will be. So we should always be ready.
And I want you to know that Jesus’ ascension is a good thing. Some may wish that Jesus was still on earth with us today like He was with the Disciples.
(To be sure, Jesus is with us and will never leave us—in a sense—but I mean, Jesus is not with us in the flesh no as He was with the Disciples back then. He is with us spiritually.) Jesus said His ascension to heaven was a good thing. In John 16:7, Jesus said, “...it is best for you that I go away, because if I don’t, the Advocate won’t come. If I do go away, then I will send him to you.”
This Advocate is the Holy Spirit. God sends the Holy Spirit to live inside every person who follows Jesus as Lord. Jesus took on flesh to live as one of us. Though He is Divine God, He squished His divinity into the limits of our human flesh. He lived by the limiting laws of time and space that restrict all of us. For instance, Jesus could only be in one place at a time.
But the Holy Spirit can be with all believers everywhere at once and is not limited by
time and space.
The Holy Spirit lives within us, giving constant personal guidance and
conviction.
The Holy Spirit empowers every believer for ministry, not just those physically
near Jesus.
The Holy Spirit helps us understand Scripture and discern God’s will.
The Holy Spirit gives strength to resist sin and grow in holiness.
The Holy Spirit comforts us in suffering and reminds us we belong to God.
The Holy Spirit unites believers across the world into one Body of Christ.
The Holy Spirit produces spiritual fruit like love, joy, peace, and patience in
us.
The Holy Spirit gives spiritual gifts to build up the Church and reach the
world.
With the Holy Spirit, all the power of the God of the
universe is at our disposal to do the will of God and complete Christ’s mission
to restore His Kingdom on earth as it is in Heaven. But we must always remember is it His Kingdom, not ours.
So, Jesus ascended into Heaven to sit at the right Hand of God the
Father, Almighty. And that’s a good thing, because it means we can receive the Holy Spirit when we
choose to follow Christ as Lord. Next Sunday, we will celebrate Pentecost—the day God poured out the Holy Spirit
on the Church. I invite you to wear red next Sunday to help commemorate the event.
Closing
As we close, I invite you to image Jesus ascending up to take His throne in Heaven. The disciples wondered when Jesus was going to retore their
kingdom. In your own heart, think of the “kingdoms” you want restored: health, family, peace, finances, purpose…
Now I invite you to open your hands and surrender those kingdoms to Christ. Don't worry about when or how Jesus will restore those kingdoms in your life. Trust Jesus to do it His way in His time. Meanwhile, take upon you the power Christ offers to be a witness for His Kingdom.
"Jesus, we release to You our worries about the things in our lives that are broken. We trust that You will retore these things in our life according to Your holy and perfect will and timing. We trust You. Help us to focus on Your Kingdom and receive he power of the Holy Spirit to be effective in Your mission. Amen."