Ascension of Christ Part 2

Preacher:

Main Scripture: Acts 1:9-11

Ascension of Christ Part 2

The ascension of Christ is underrated, although it is very important and is part of the following six key aspects about Jesus. Of these, the first three are studied more often, but in today's passage, the latter three happen to be the focus.
- Life of Christ (whereby He created a new record for us)
- Death of Christ (whereby He paid for and made atonement for our sin)
- Resurrection of Christ (whereby He triumphed over death and gave us the hope of our own resurrection)
- Ascension of Christ
- Reign of Christ
- Return of Christ
The ASCENSION made it possible for the Lord Jesus to fulfill His three offices of Priest, Prophet, and King.
AS HIGH PRIEST, Jesus mediates for us from the holy of holies in heaven, and this He does continually, unlike the high priest in the earthly temple. Heb 9:11-12 & 24-28 [But when Christ appeared as a high priest of the good things that have come, then through the greater and more perfect tent (not made with hands, that is, not of this creation) he entered once for all into the holy places, not by means of the blood of goats and calves but by means of his own blood, thus securing an eternal redemption. . . For Christ has entered, not into holy places made with hands, which are copies of the true things, but into heaven itself, now to appear in the presence of God on our behalf. Nor was it to offer himself repeatedly, as the high priest enters the holy places every year with blood not his own, for then he would have had to suffer repeatedly since the foundation of the world. But as it is, he has appeared once for all at the end of the ages to put away sin by the sacrifice of himself. And just as it is appointed for man to die once, and after that comes judgment, so Christ, having been offered once to bear the sins of many, will appear a second time, not to deal with sin but to save those who are eagerly waiting for him.]
AS PROPHET, Jesus sends forth the word of God through His Spirit. John 16:7-9 [Nevertheless, I tell you the truth: it is to your advantage that I go away, for if I do not go away, the Helper will not come to you. But if I go, I will send him to you. And when he comes, he will convict the world concerning sin and righteousness and judgment: concerning sin, because they do not believe in me; concerning righteousness, because I go to the Father, and you will see me no longer; concerning judgment, because the ruler of this world is judged.]
AS KING, Jesus rules and reigns in power, progressing His kingdom, by conquering His enemies, until the day of His return in judgement, when the last enemy death will be conquered. This topic of the ascension and how it relates to Jesus' role as King is the focus of our text. 1 Cor 15:25-26 [For he must reign until he has put all his enemies under his feet. The last enemy to be destroyed is death.]
We will study Acts 1:9-11 under three headings. Ascending to reign, Sitting to rule, and Returning to judge.
ASCENDING TO REIGN [Acts 1:9 And when he had said these things, as they were looking on, he was lifted up, and a cloud took him out of their sight.]
In Acts 1:1, we see that Luke divided his material in two volumes, with the day of the ascension as the dividing line. The Gospel of Luke covered Jesus' ministry UNTIL the ascension, while the Acts of the Apostles covered Jesus' ministry AFTER the ascension. On that day when the disciples saw the Lord taken up from their midst on the Mount of Olives, Jesus entered heaven and took up His heavenly throne to reign and bring His enemies into subjection. [Eph 1:20-21 that he worked in Christ when he raised him from the dead and seated him at his right hand in the heavenly places, 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]
The ascension was His inauguration day, His coronation. Next year in June it will be 70 years since the coronation of Queen Elizabeth II in 1953. This is perhaps the most significant coronation the world has known. It was the first one to be televised to the watching world, and the ceremony had all the lavish pomp and splendour befitting a British monarch. Obviously, the coronation of Christ would have been unimaginably grander, and yet we find that Acts only gives us a few verses about it, telling us that Jesus was speaking with the disciples when He was taken up and then He was gone. Where is the glorious ceremony of this King of kings? This glorious ceremony did not happen on earth, and it was hidden from the eyes of the small gathering on the Mount of Olives. However Daniel prophetically has given us a description of the coronation. [Daniel 7: 9-14 As I looked, thrones were placed, and the Ancient of Days took his seat; his clothing was white as snow, and the hair of his head like pure wool; his throne was fiery flames; its wheels were burning fire. A stream of fire issued and came out from before him; a thousand thousands served him, and ten thousand times ten thousand stood before him; the court sat in judgment, and the books were opened. I looked then because of the sound of the great words that the horn was speaking. And as I looked, the beast was killed, and its body destroyed and given over to be burned with fire. As for the rest of the beasts, their dominion was taken away, but their lives were prolonged for a season and a time. I saw in the night visions, and behold, with the CLOUDS OF HEAVEN there came one like a SON OF MAN, and he came to the Ancient of Days and was presented before him. And to him was given dominion and glory and a kingdom, that all peoples, nations, and languages should serve him; his dominion is an everlasting dominion, which shall not pass away, and his kingdom one that shall not be destroyed.]
The four beasts mentioned here are the four kingdoms Babylon, Medo-Persia, Greece, and Rome. Notice also that Vs 7 mentions the Son of Man, who came with the clouds of heaven, which is interesting because Luke's description from the vantage point of the Mount of Olives simply says "a cloud took Him out of their sight."
SITTING TO REIGN [Acts 1:10-11 And while they were gazing into heaven as he went, behold, 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.”]
If we had been there, we would probably have been gazing into the sky as well. We know the feeling from having watched helium balloons rise up into the sky in our childhood and also having watched rocket launches on TV; we know what it is like to watch long after the object becomes a tiny dot and disappears altogether in the sky.
The angels mildly rebuke the disciples, saying “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.” It was as if they were saying, "Don't spend time looking into heaven; spend your time serving the King instead. The reign has begun, so stop looking into heaven and get on with the task at hand."
Angels are good at changing the perspective of the people they meet. Another example of a time when angels drastically changed the perspective of their audience is recorded in Luke 24, when the women went to the tomb of Jesus with the spices they had prepared to anoint the body. When they stood perplexed beside the empty tomb, they were met by angels who changed their perspective completely by saying, "Why do you seek the living among the dead? He is not here, but has risen . . ."
Similarly, here too just after the ascension, the angels change the perspective of the disciples, for indeed a new era had begun; it was time now to progress the Lord's kingdom and join in the mission to subdue His enemies on the earth.
Spending time staring into heaven and not doing anything particularly useful for the advancement of the kingdom is of no use. This gentle rebuke is not intended to discourage the lifting of our eyes to look to Christ but to discourage the star gazing that would lead to an unproductive life. The angels tell us why, and it is because this King is going to return to judge.
RETURNING TO JUDGE
By saying that the Lord will come again in the same way, it may seem like the angels are giving us an even more important reason to keep on gazing at the clouds! But the angels' mild rebuke was a nudge to the disciples, and to us, to get on with the work given, because time is short and Christ will return to judge the living and the dead.
Jesus had taught them this lesson earlier on. In Matthew 24, we read about what He said about the close of the age, telling them that no one knows that day or hour. The very next chapter, Matthew 25, has two parables—the wise virgins, and the parable of the talents—that teach the importance of being ready, and the chapter ends with a description of the judgement, where the sheep are separated from the goats. The angels seem to be making the same point here, that it is time now to focus on the progression of the kingdom before the end of the age, before the Lord returns.
John Calvin set a good example. He had achieved much in his 54 years and had a rigourous work schedule, being absolutely dedicated to the ministry. He preached numerous times every week. He had set up a theological college that prepared countless men for ministry, which included forfeiting their very lives for several of them. Calvin also wrote the most important body of work to come out of the reformation known as Calvin's Institutes, apart from which, he also produced many commentaries. He also fulfilled the pastoral demands of a large church in Geneva. When asked to slow down he said, "What, shall I be caught sleeping when my Master returns?"
As Christians, we are called to serve Him always—in our families, workplace, and leisure, wasting no time.