Text: “…He was taken up, and a cloud received Him out of their sight” (Acts 1:9).
When Jesus started his ministry on earth, He preached these words: “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand” (Matthew 4:17). Prior to Jesus’ appearance on earth, “the kingdom of heaven or the kingdom of God” was not present. God was always present, but the “kingdom of heaven or the kingdom of God” was not present or at hand until God appeared on earth in human form.
Jesus ministry was a continuation of John’s ministry. John had preached these same words, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand” (Matthew 3:2) that Jesus continued to preach. John was the one Isaiah talked about when he said, “A voice of one calling in the desert, prepare the way for the Lord, make straight paths for him” (Isaiah 40:3).
John knew that his duty was to prepare the way for Jesus. Scripture states, “While Annas and Caiaphas were high priests, the word of God came to John the son of Zacharias in the wilderness and he went into all the regions around Jordan, preaching baptism of repentance for the remission of sins” (Luke 3:2-3). Isaiah had written the words and John followed through as God commanded.
When John appeared on the scene and started preaching repentance for sin, Jesus was about 30 years old. John knew the Messiah was about to appear to give man another opportunity to change from his life of sin. Natural man was living a life of greed, dishonesty, cheating, lying, sexual misconduct, envy, anger, etc…
John admitted that he was not the Messiah or the Lamb of God. He said, “I did not know Him, but He who sent me to baptize with water said to me, ‘Upon whom you see the Spirit descending, and remaining on Him, this is He who baptizes with the Holy Spirit’” (John 1:33).
Then John went on to say, “And I have seen and testified that this is the Son of God” (John 1:34). There was no doubt that John’s witness is true because it was a divine revelation. It was sent from God Himself.
After John baptized Jesus and the Spirit led Jesus into the desert to fast for 40 days and 40 nights, Satan was given the opportunity to tempt Him. By facing temptation, Jesus now knew what mankind was faced with. Although Scripture gives only three ways Satan tempted Jesus, I believe these three ways encompass all the temptations man faces.
This was a test just like the time God led the Israelites into the desert to wander around for 40 years. God wanted to know what was in their heart. He wanted to know whether or not the Israelites would keep His commandments. God wanted them to know that “…man shall not live by bread alone, but man lives by every word that proceeds from the mouth of the LORD” (Deuteronomy 8:3).
Jesus did not fall for Satan’s offers even though he was very hungry after 40 days. He responded to Satan after each offer of temptation with the Word of God. This was the beginning of what Jesus was ready to teach mankind. Living true to the Word of God will not let you fall to temptation and end up in sin.
After Jesus started His ministry and picked his 12 disciples and began to teach the people, crowds gathered to hear him because they could sense He was different. What He said made sense to most of the people. None of the 12 disciples questioned Jesus when He asked them to follow Him.
When Jesus turned the water into wine at the wedding feast in Cana, it was merely a sign to demonstrate the power and the glory of God. He never intended to draw attention to himself. This was pretty amazing in the eyes of the disciples and there was no doubt in their minds that Jesus was the Messiah.
Nicodemus, a Pharisee, a respected member of the Sanhedrin, a very educated man, came to Jesus one night and Jesus said to him, “Most assuredly, I say to you, unless one is born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God” (John 3:3). Although Nicodemus was very educated in the Jewish law, he did not understand what Jesus was saying. Nicodemus did not realize that he was very close to the kingdom of God.
The Holy Spirit had not yet come, but nevertheless Jesus talked about the Spirit. Jesus also said to Nicodemus, “No one has ascended to heaven but He who came down from heaven, that is, the Son of Man who is in heaven” (John 3:13). Did Nicodemus understand Jesus? I don’t know.
The point I am trying to make is that all through His ministry, Jesus explained his mission, how he would die, and that each individual could have the kingdom of God within his or her heart.
For example, Jesus told how He would die. He said, “And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of Man be lifted up, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have eternal life” (John 3:14-15).
This is a reference to the Scripture recorded in Numbers 21:8-9. When the Israelites were traveling through the desert on route to the Red Sea they grew tired and irritable and began to say things against God.
At this time, God used poisonous snakes to punish the people for their lack of belief. When Moses prayed for the people, the LORD said to Moses, “Make a snake and put it up on a pole; anyone who is bitten can look at it and live. So Moses made a bronze snake and put it up on a pole. Then when anyone was bitten by a snake and looked at the a bronze snake, he lived”
Jesus came to earth for the purpose of giving mankind an opportunity to look to Him and live forever in His kingdom. Just as the poisonous snake is destructive, sin is destructive. Just as the bronze snake was raised on the pole for people to look at and live, Jesus was nailed to the Cross so that people could look to Him for eternal life in His kingdom.
The bronze snake on the pole did not heal the people, but the faith in God that people possessed is what really healed them. Jesus told the people over and over that God, the Father, loved them so much that “…He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life. God did not send His son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through Him might be saved” (John 3:16-17).
Jesus healed many people during his earthly ministry. Numerous miracles were performed by Him. Great crowds looked up to Him as their leader and their King. What the people did not understand was that Jesus was not a military type of king.
He would not rule as a military king. He would not remain with them for a long period of time. His mission was to give mankind an opportunity to enjoy the kingdom of God while they were here on earth through accepting Him and believing in Him.
The full kingdom of God will blossom forth when all evil in the world is judged and destroyed. Jesus time on earth was as a suffering servant. When He returns, He will not only be King but He will be judge over all the earth.
After the crucifixion and the burial of Jesus, things looked rather dismal for the disciples as well as all the other people who had followed Him. What were they to do? How would they continue to live? It was as though the carpet had been pulled out from underneath them.
Then the resurrection took place and Jesus began to reappear to the disciples. Scripture says, “Then, the same day at evening, being the first day of the week, when the doors were shut where the disciples were assembled for fear of the Jews, Jesus came and stood in their midst, and said to them, ‘Peace be with you’” (John 20:19).
Thomas was not with the disciples at this time, but eight day later they were assembled with the door shut and Jesus appeared to them again. This time Thomas was with them. When Thomas doubted that it was Jesus, Jesus said, “Reach your finger here, and look at My hands; and reach your hand here, and put it into My side. Do not be unbelieving, but believing” (John 20:27).
In both cases, the door was shut, but in both cases the disciples could see Jesus and in the last case, Thomas could put his hand into Jesus’ side. Jesus was different. His body was different in that Jesus could enter a room without ever opening the door. Jesus was not recognized by the disciples until he said to them, “Peace to you!” This is when their eyes were opened.
Jesus had truly prepared His disciples for the coming moment of ascension, but the disciples still did not fully understand. He told the disciples on other occasions that He would not leave them alone. He would furnish them with a Comforter.
The last time Jesus gathered them together, He told them to stay in Jerusalem and “…wait for the Promise of the Father…. (Acts 1:4). The Promise Jesus was referring to was the Holy Spirit. Jesus said to the disciples, “But you shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you shall be witnesses to Me in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth” (Acts 1:8).
As we recall, Jesus’ life was conceived by the Holy Spirit. He was not conceived with the help of an earthly father. It was the Holy Spirit within Jesus that brought about all His power during His earthly ministry.
The Holy Spirit came upon the disciples at Pentecost and the purpose was so that the ministry of Jesus could be carried on throughout the entire world. The Holy Spirit is a real Person within the heart of each one who repents of their sins and accepts the Lord Jesus Christ as their own personal Lord and Savior.
At that very moment, the Holy Spirit takes up resident in that person’s heart. The kingdom of God is now implanted in the heart of that repentant and saved person.
“Now when He had spoken these things, while they watched, He was taken up, and a cloud received Him out of their sight” (Acts 1:9). The disciples needed to see this event, The Ascension, take place because it took away all doubt from their hearts that Jesus was indeed God.
Conclusion:
God had a plan and that plan was to redeem sinful man and bring him back into a righteous relationship Him. That plan was carried out by His Son Jesus, who being sinless, carried every sin man has ever committed and will ever commit to the Cross.
Jesus paid the price. He took our punishment. As Moses raised up the bronze serpent on the pole, so God lifted up His Son so that believing in Him we are saved and have a place prepared for us in His kingdom.
Amen.
