My apologies for the late posting of this sermon that I prepared for and
delivered on Thursday, May 1, 2008, The Ascension of Our Lord. BTW, it's
super sad that many of our so-called liturgical churches observed the
National Day of Prayer instead of our Lord's Ascension on that day/date!
While I'm certainly not against the National Day of Prayer, it seems to me
that our liturgical heritage trumps it. Oh well, just another indication of
the influence and influx of American Evangelicalism.
Ephesians 1:19b-20 (15-23)
"The Ascended Resurrected Christ Sits at God's Heavenly Right Hand"
Thursday, May 1, 2008; The Ascension of Our Lord
[Acts 1:1-11; Luke 24:44-53]
In the name of the Triune God-Father, X Son, and Holy Spirit. [Amen.]
(Eph 1:19b-20 ESV) ". according to the working of his great might that he
worked in Christ when he raised him from the dead and seated him at his
right hand in the heavenly places . ."
Introduction: Dear fellow heavenward heading saints of God.
We confess in the Apostles' Creed about our Immanuel's ascension,
"I believe ... in Jesus Christ, His only Son, our Lord, who ... ascended
into heaven and sits at the right hand of God, the Father Almighty. From
thence He will come to judge the living and the dead."
This special liturgical observance of Christ's physical return to His
heavenly throne gives us a timely opportunity to recall the meaning and
significance of it. In fact, let's do so first of all by reviewing what we
learned in our catechetical studies that prepared us for confirmation and
the proper partaking of the Lord's Supper.
The four questions and answers about it from our Synodical Catechism
tell us the following:
(Luther's Small Catechism with Explanation. 1991. Pages 138-141.) "146. What
do the Scriptures teach about Christ's ascension? They teach that 40 days
after His resurrection, Christ, in the presence of His disciples, ascended
bodily into the glory of His Father, to prepare a place for us in heaven.
"147. What does it mean that Christ sits at the right hand of God the Father
Almighty? With this expression Scripture teaches that Christ, as true man,
is not only present everywhere, but also now fully exercises His divine
power over the whole universe.
"148. What comfort do we get from Christ's ascension to the right hand of
God? We know that the exalted God-man, Christ A. as our Prophet sends
people to proclaim the saving Gospel by the power of the Holy Spirit; B. as
our Priest pleads and prays for us before the Father; C. as our King rules
and protects His church and governs over all the world especially for the
benefit of His church.
"149. What do the Scriptures teach about Christ's second coming? A. Christ
will return visibly and with great glory on the Last Day. B. Christ will
return to judge the world, not to set up an earthly government. C. Christ
will return on a specific day known by God alone. D. Before Christ returns,
there will be increasing turmoil and distress for the church and the world.
E. The return of Christ is a source of hope and joy for the Christian."
In summary, the bottom line is that .
Transition: The Ascended Resurrected Christ Sits at God's Right Hand from
which position He Exercises Unlimited Power toward Us and because of which
He Is the Supreme Eternal Ruler.
I. He Exercises Unlimited Power toward Us. [15-19a: "For this reason,
because I have heard of your faith in the Lord Jesus and your love toward
all the saints, I do not cease to give thanks for you, remembering you in my
prayers, that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may
give you a spirit of wisdom and of revelation in the knowledge of him,
having the eyes of your hearts enlightened, that you may know what is the
hope to which he has called you, what are the riches of his glorious
inheritance in the saints, and what is the immeasurable greatness of his
power toward us who believe . ."] Power is a much sought after thing.
Power-crazed people will stop at nothing in order to gain and retain power.
Jesus informed His disciples about His return on the Last Day that,
(Mark 13:26 ESV) ". they will see the Son of Man coming in clouds
with great power and glory."
While we await His return, however,
A. We exercise faith in Jesus by loving one another. About "faith"
and "love":
(Heb 11:1 ESV) "Now faith is the assurance of things hoped
for, the conviction of things not seen."
(Rom 10:17 ESV) "So faith comes from hearing, and hearing
through the word of Christ."
(Eph 2:8-9 ESV) "For by grace you have been saved through
faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result
of works, so that no one may boast."
(Gal 5:6 ESV) "For in Christ Jesus neither circumcision nor
uncircumcision counts for anything, but only faith working through love."
(John 3:16 ESV) "For God so loved the world, that he gave his
only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal
life."
(John 13:34-35 ESV) "A new commandment I give to you, that you
love one another: just as I have loved you, you also are to love one
another. By this all people will know that you are my disciples, if you
have love for one another."
(1 John 4:19 ESV) "We love because he [God] first loved us."
In addition, while awaiting His return .
B. We seek spiritual wisdom and knowledge about Jesus. About
"wisdom" and "knowledge":
(Prov 2:6 ESV) "For the Lord gives wisdom; from his mouth come
knowledge and understanding . ."
(Prov 9:10 ESV) "The fear of the Lord is the beginning of
wisdom, and the knowledge of the Holy One is insight."
(Isa 11:2 ESV) "And the Spirit of the Lord shall rest upon him
[Messiah], the Spirit of wisdom and understanding, ., the Spirit of
knowledge and the fear of the Lord."
(Rom 11:33 ESV) "Oh, the depth of the riches and wisdom and
knowledge of God! How unsearchable are his judgments and how inscrutable
his ways!"
(Col 2:3 ESV) ". in whom [Christ] are hidden all the treasures
of wisdom and knowledge."
So it is that .
Transition: The Ascended Resurrected Christ Sits at God's Right Hand from
which position He Exercises Unlimited Power toward Us and because of which
He Is the Supreme Eternal Ruler.
II. He Is the Supreme Eternal Ruler. [21-23: ". far above all rule and
authority and power and dominion, and above every name that is named, not
only in this age but also in the one to come. And he put all things under
his feet and gave him as head over all things to the church, which is his
body, the fullness of him who fills all in all."] It has been said that he
who has the power rules. In His return to His heavenly throne Jesus
received the Father's power, might, and authority. In fact, He told His
disciples shortly before leaving them,
(Matt 28:18 ESV) "All authority in heaven and on earth has been given
to me."
Because of that, Jesus is our supreme eternal Ruler, in the light of
which, .
A. Christ is our head.
(Eph 5:23 ESV) ". Christ is the head of the church, his body,
and is himself its Savior."
(Col 1:18-20 ESV) "And he [Christ] is the head of the body,
the church. He is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, that in
everything he might be preeminent. For in him all the fullness of God was
pleased to dwell, and through him to reconcile to himself all things,
whether on earth or in heaven, making peace by the blood of his cross."
(Col 2:10 ESV) ". you have been filled in him, who is the head
of all rule and authority."
(Col 2:19 ESV) ". [Christ is] the Head, from whom the whole
body, nourished and knit together through its joints and ligaments, grows
with a growth that is from God."
Since Christ is our head it's only logical (make that
theological) that .
B. We are His body.
(1 Cor 6:15 ESV) "Do you not know that your bodies are members
of Christ?"
(1 Cor 10:16-17 ESV) "The cup of blessing that we bless, is it
not a participation in the blood of Christ? The bread that we break, is it
not a participation in the body of Christ? Because there is one bread, we
who are many are [Christ's] one body, for we all partake of the one bread."
So, as we celebrate the ascension of our Lord we realize
with praise and thanksgiving that .
Transition: The Ascended Resurrected Christ Sits at God's Right Hand from
which position He Exercises Unlimited Power toward Us and because of which
He Is the Supreme Eternal Ruler.
Conclusion: As Jesus' disciples were spellbound watching Him ascend back to
His heavenly throne St. Luke wrote that
(Acts 1:10-11 ESV) ". two men stood by them in white robes, and said, 'Men
of Galilee, why do you stand looking into heaven? This Jesus, who was taken
up from you into heaven, will come in the same way as you saw him go into
heaven.'"
What a wonderful anticipation! Although we didn't see Immanuel ascend
to His heavenly throne we will, along with His disciples who saw Him ascend
to heaven, see Him return. Wow! That's an exciting thing!
In his gospel account St. Luke described Christ's ascension and its
aftermath according to the following:
(Luke 24:51-53 ESV) "While he blessed them, he parted from them and was
carried up into heaven. And they worshiped him and returned to Jerusalem
with great joy, and were continually in the temple blessing God."
We don't know when Christ will return although we do know He will
return. While we await His return let's follow the example of His disciples
by joyfully gathering together at every available opportunity to honor and
worship God, who feeds us His mercy and grace through Word and Sacrament.
God grant it all for the sake of Jesus Christ, His humble Son, our holy
Savior. Amen.
In the name of the Triune God-Father, X Son, and Holy Spirit. [Amen.]
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