Celebration of Ascension. Acts of the Holy Spirit 1:1-12.
God's Word tells us Christ 'was delivered for our offenses and was
raised again for our justification' (Romans 4:25). After Easter, Christ
spent forty days with His disciples to confirm their faith in His
Resurrection (even though 'some still doubted' Mat. 28:17). He also gave
them instructions concerning God's Kingdom (Acts 1:3).
While His Resurrection did not have any witnesses, His Ascension did.
He did not vanish out of sight like He did for the Emmaus disciples (Luke
24:31). He chose to remove His visible gradually going up so the disciples
could testify clearly and confidently. While Jesus 'will be with us always,
even to the end of the world' (Mt. 28:20), we also know He Ascended into
heaven. It would be good for us to recall why His presence and Ascension
are true, and the two purposes (terminus ad quem) He accomplished in His
Ascension.
Jesus did not only go to heaven (coeleum beatorum) to be with those who
have died in Christian faith and are right now alive with Him and see Him
face to face (Philippians 1:23, Luke 23:43, I Cor. 13:12). He also properly
went to be at the right hand of God the Father in divine majesty (coeleum
maiestaticum as in 1 Peter 3:22, Hebrews 1:3 and elsewhere) as we confess in
the Apostles Creed.
This is not just a singular place of honor. The Bible says in
Ephesians 4:10 that Christ Ascended to fill ALL things and that all things
are under His control (1:20-23). He does not just occupy a tiny section of
heaven - but fills all heaven and earth. If He had not Ascended to fill all
things, He could not be with us now.
Nor is "the right hand of God, the Father Almighty" a place of
inactivity or rest, for Peter says in Act 2:34-36 that Christ is at work in
the world today.
We use figures of speech. We say "the sun rises in the east", but we
know it is the earth rotating that makes it seem to rise. In the Bible, we
use (anthropomorphisms) words like eyes, feet, and hands (or feathers-Psalm
91:4) to describe God in terms of a human being. For example, when Psalm
118:15-16 talks about the Right Hand of God being exalted or being
victorious, it is telling how He is all-powerful, all-knowing, and
all-present. (See also Psalm 63:8; 89:13; 139:9-10). To be "seated" at the
right hand of God is nothing else than the almighty power of God which fills
both heaven and earth.
Christ, True MAN, ascended to that exalted place according to His human
nature to do this for us and for our salvation. He governs all things for
our eternal good and for the good of His Kingdom of Grace: which we call
the Christian Church.
A good way to put it is in our Lutheran Confessions. "The majesty of
the man Christ is declared, which Christ has received, according to His
humanity, at the right hand of the majesty and power of God, namely, that
also according to His assumed human nature and with that nature, He can be
and also is present where He wills, and especially that in His Church and
congregation on earth He is present as Mediator, Head, King, and High
Priest. Not in part, or one-half only, but the entire person of Christ is
present, to which both natures belong, the divine and the human; not only
according to His divinity, but also according to, and with, His assumed
human nature, according to which He is our Brother, and we are flesh of His
flesh and bone of His bone." F.C. S.D. VIII 77-78.
One purpose of Christ's Ascension was and is for Him to rule all things
according to both human and divine natures.
HOW He rules according to both natures, we don't know. But He does!
Because He does, you and I can be certain that His death is enough for
our sins, and His resurrection guarantees ours. Because He does, we know
that in every joy or sorrow, every moment of danger or safety, He is with us
always. Because He does, Satan can't falsely accuse us for Christ knows
what is going on in your life at every moment.
Because He does, we know He rules all events: great & small, world
politics & hospital beds, earthquakes & tiny flowers, galaxies & molecules,
and all created things. He does NOT rule for the desires of our feelings,
pocketbooks, morals, friendships, health, or any such things on earth. He
wants all people to be kept out of hell, to believe in His cross of rescue,
and trust the only name under heaven by which anyone can enter and have
eternal life.
That leads to the second reason for the Ascension. He Ascended into
heaven to be our Judge and Advocate now and on the Last Day.
We know from Acts 1:9 and 11 that Jesus will Return visibly and
simultaneously (at-the-same-time) to all nations as fast as lightning (Luke
17:24) in power and majesty with His holy angels (Matthew 25:31).
Until that unknown day and hour comes when He makes His Second and
Final Appearance, Jesus acts as our Advocate, or a defense lawyer (I John
2:1). "For there is One God, and one Mediator between God and man: the Man
Christ Jesus" as First Timothy 2 verse 5 explains.
When Satan accuses you of sin, Jesus can say that "He was and is with
you always" and He knows all things. He also proclaims that He paid the
ransom for all of your sins, mine, and all sins of people of all time on the
cross of Calvary. That is the Gospel.
When He Returns on His throne of glory, (Matthew 25:31) Jesus will in
His human nature be shining like the sun (see Acts 10:42, 2 Cor 5:10, etc.).
Believers & unbelievers from earth and from heaven will be gathered in one
place, and then He will separate them into two groups.
Once they are separated, believers will be judged by their works which
prove faith in Christ, and their unbelief will be cast into the sea of hell
along with all beings who lived in unbelief (see Micah 7:19, Matthew 12:36,
John 5:24, Revelation 20:10-15, etc.). We will be saved by grace alone, and
not by anything we have or have not done, or said, or felt. Christ has seen
all you do and heard each word you have said. He is with you always. (1
Corinthians 6:2-3). That Final Judgment of our Risen and Ascended Lord
Jesus Christ is everlasting and can not be changed (Malachi 3:6).
Because He Ascended into heaven and is seated on the right hand of the
Father in both His human and divine nature, He rules all things for His
Kingdom of Grace, and will bring us to His Kingdom of Glory in His good
time.
May we abide in His love and keep His commandments, for He has chosen
us to be His faithful people. And let us rejoice in our Ascended Lord and
Savior, Jesus Christ! Amen.
Collect (hybrid)
O King of Glory, Lord or Hosts, Who did Ascend in triumph far beyond all
heavens, we beseech You, leave us not comfortless, but send to us the Spirit
of Truth promised from the Father. As we believe You Ascended, so may we
also in heart and mind and life there ascend and with You dwell continually.
For You live and reign with the Father and the Spirit, One God, now and
forevermore. Amen.
Hymns:
491 Up Thru Endless Ranks of Angels;
701 Draw Us to You;
492 On Christ's Ascension I Now Build
(All of which, happily enough, happen to be on CPH's organ works
collection - since I am without an organist at one location this weekend so
we will be doing "Lutheran Karaoke" with organ CDs). Would that there would
be a genuine collection of all non-copyrighted TLH and LSB works done
professionally on a pipe organ! It's in my top-ten-wish-list... :)
Outside resources: Pieper's Christian Dogmatics Vol 2:320-330 and
3:534-555, www.lcms.org, Lutheran Witness Bible Study on Ascension reprinted
as an insert for the congregation, FC-SD VIII:77-78, and other texts in the
Book of Concord about Ascension which tend to focus on Holy Communion so
were (sadly) omitted since this is a "non-communion sunday, pastor" and I've
been told to keep sermons WELL under 15 minutes - and this one is.
As such, this is a hybrid sermon / Bible Study / doctrinal position paper of
the LCMS teaching on the Ascension. If any of the brethren see a problem
with this teaching, *please* get back to me with the sources and corrections
since I don't preach many systematic sermons.
Pastor Michael Harman,
St. Peter LCMS - Newell, IA
vacancies at ...
Immanuel, Pomeroy and First Evangelical, Fonda
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