INTRO: An American tourist was visiting England on his summer vacation.
-As the 4th of July approached, he wondered how the British would celebrate America’s Independence Day.
-So, he asked one of his tour guides: Does England have a 4th of July? (2X)
-You can imagine the tour guide’s sarcastic reply: No, we just go from the 3rd of July to the 5th of July.
-Everybody in the world has a 4th of July--right? The only difference is: some people have a special reason to celebrate on that day, and other people don’t.
In a similar way--everybody in the world has a 21st of May. But some people have a special reason to celebrate on that day, and other people don’t.
-What about you? Do you have a special reason to celebrate on the 21st of May this year?
-Some of you are already looking at your calendars. What’s the 21st of May? (2X)
-I’ll give you a hint. The 21st of May is 40 days after Easter this year. Does that help?
-We’re in the third week of a 3-part series today, called, ENCORE. We’re studying what Jesus did between rising from the dead and returning to heaven--a 40-day period.
-Now do you know what we have to celebrate on the 21st of May? Jesus’ ascension. May 21st is Ascension Day. It falls on a Thursday, 40 days after Easter.
Let me ask you a question about your religious background: How many of you grew up in a church that annually celebrated Jesus’ Ascension (Jesus’ return to heaven)?
-I did not! In fact, I’m embarrassed to admit this, but--in almost 25 years of preaching over 1,000 sermons at CCC, I have never taught about the importance of Jesus’ ascension. Never!
-And this was the Grand Finale of Jesus’ earthly life and ministry--this was the big send off at the end of Jesus’ 40-day post-Easter encore.
-Even more importantly--Jesus’ ascension has incredible significance for our lives today. When I finished studying, this past week, all that Jesus’ ascension means for us--all that it guarantees us--I was pumped! I could hardly wait for this weekend to share this message with you.
-And it’s got eight points. (Eight! Don’t worry--I’ll have us out of here by... Tuesday!)
-OUTLINE. Lots of Scripture verses--some we’ll look up, many we won’t. Write them down. (Do you have notebook yet for your outlines?)
#1 He Is Exalted As God
TURN: Hebrews 1.
-As you’re turning... Let me make an interesting observation. Each of the Christian holidays that we celebrate, leave us with a distinct image of Jesus.
-For example--when you think about Christmas, what image of Jesus comes to your mind? The baby in the manger, right? He may be the Son of God--but he’s tiny and helpless, and occasionally Mary needs to change his diaper. That’s the Jesus of Christmas.
-OK. What about the Jesus of Easter weekend--starting with Good Friday. What image of Jesus comes to mind when you think about Good Friday? A Jesus who is nailed to a cross--suffering, dying, calling out "I thirst" and "My God, My God, why have you forsaken me?"
-What about the Jesus of Easter day? What’s your image? He’s been supernaturally raised from the dead--but he’s still a man, right? Maybe he glows a bit--I don’t know--but he still looks a lot like the Jesus that his disciples had followed for three years.
-The image of Jesus that we carry around in our minds has been greatly shaped by these major Christian holidays that we annually celebrate. Jesus is the helpless baby of Christmas, the dying sacrifice of Good Friday, the back-from-the-dead man of Easter.
But this isn’t the full picture. We desperately need the image of Jesus that his ascension provides.
-What does the Jesus who returned to heaven at the end of his 40-day encore look like?
-READ Hebrews 1:3, 4.
-These two verses are so packed with information about the ascended Jesus, that we could squeeze something out of every phrase.
-Verse 3 begins: The Son is the radiance of God’s glory. Radiance--God’s presence is frequently spoken of in Scripture in terms of brilliantly, blazing light.
* When Moses, for example, met with God on the top of Mt. Sinai, Exodus 24:17 says that the people at the base of the mountain saw a consuming fire.
*Jesus--as the unique Son of God--has this same radiance about him. On one occasion, during his earthly ministry, Jesus took three of his disciples up a mountainside to pray--and his appearance was transformed before their very eyes.
*Matthew 17:2 says that his face shone like the sun. Luke 9:29 says that his clothes became as bright as flashes of lightning.
*That was just a sneak preview of the radiance that Jesus would once again possess after returning to heaven. The radiance of God’s glory.
Look at the next phrase in Hebrews 1:3. Jesus is the exact representation of God’s being.
-This reminds me of something that Jesus said to his disciple Philip on the night of the Last Supper. Jesus had just told his disciples that he was the only way to a relationship with God the Father.
-Philip interrupted Jesus and said (John 14:8): Hey Lord, show us the Father and that will be enough for us.
-Do you remember Jesus’ response? (John 14:9): Don’t you know me Philip, even after I have been among you for such a long time? Anyone who has seen me has seen the Father. (2X)
-Jesus--is God! The exact representation of God’s being.
Look at the next phrase in Hebrews 1:3. Jesus is now sustaining all things by his powerful word.
-Who is currently holding the universe together? Jesus Christ.
-Skip down to the last phrase in Hebrews 1:3. After Jesus died on the cross, rose from the dead and returned to heaven--LISTEN--he sat down at the right hand of the Majesty in heaven.
-We may not appreciate this phrase, because we’re not used to dealing with majesties/kings. In the HBO miniseries on the life of John Adams, an American Revolution hero--Adams is sent as an ambassador to the King of England. Before he enters the king’s presence, he’s coached on the appropriate protocol: Enter the room with your head down; don’t get too close to the king; bow low; and when you exit, back out. Back out!
-When Jesus ascended to heaven, he entered the throne room of Almighty God--and he sat down beside him! Whoa!!
One last observation from Hebrews 1...verse 4. The ascended Jesus, this verse tells us, is far superior to angels!
-That’s putting it mildly. When the Apostle John is given a glimpse of heaven, he describes what he sees in the book of Revelation. Probably the most amazing sight is the ascended Jesus on his throne--he’s being worshiped and praised, day and night, by ten thousand times ten thousand angels.
-Ever been to a big stadium event? Maybe to a football game with 50,000 wildly cheering fans? Imagine a stadium event with 100 million wildly cheering angels. And Jesus is the center of attention.
-Is this your image of Jesus? The ascended Jesus is exalted as God!
-If we don’t worship him ourselves, with joy and enthusiasm, we just don’t get it!
#2 His Sacrifice for Sin Is Complete
Before we leave Hebrews 1--take another look at the middle of verse 3. After he had provided purification for sins, he sat down at the right hand of the Majesty in heaven.
-How did Jesus provide purification for sins? He died on the cross--he paid sin’s penalty.
-How do we know that the job was finished? How do we know that the price Jesus paid--namely, his own life--was sufficient to cover the cost of our sins?
-Well...he returned to heaven and sat down. (2X)
-IL: Let me illustrate the significance of Jesus’ action here, with a personal analogy. Every Sunday, when I return home from CCC, we have a big meal (often with guests). And then I do the dishes--Sue says that’s my special gift. (Seriously, she’s a great cook and I’m a great dish washer...so, I do my thing.)
*Well, every week, as I’m finishing up the dishes, Sue says to me--Honey, why don’t you go sit in your chair? I love those words. (Repeat.) It means: My work is done. It means: I don’t have to do another thing. It means: I can relax.
In OT times, a priest’s job was never done.
-Why not? Well, the priest’s job was to make payment for people’s sins--by offering animal sacrifices of one sort or another.
-Let me back up a step, here. The penalty for sin--is death. That’s what the Bible teaches. If that sounds severe, just consider this: God is the source of life--and sin disconnects us from God. What happens when we disconnect from the source of life? Death!
-So death makes absolute sense as a penalty for sin.
-Now, in OT times, God was willing to accept an animal’s death in place of a person’s death--as payment for that person’s sin. But this made the priest a very busy guy--because he was offering animal after animal after animal, for sin after sin after sin, for person after person after person.
-Then, along comes Jesus. Because Jesus was the infinite Son of God, his death on the cross was of infinite worth. It pays for every sin, of every person who puts his/her trust in Jesus for salvation.
-And that’s why, after Jesus died on the cross, rose from the dead, and ascended to heaven...he could sit down.
Listen to this. READ Hebrews 10:11-14.
-Jesus sacrifice for sin is complete.
-If you want God to forgive your sins--there’s nothing you can do to add to what Christ has already done. All your church-going, and good deeds, and moral living won’t contribute a thing to your forgiveness. All that needed to be done has been done--by Christ.
-What you need to do is humbly come to Christ, confess your sins to him, and ask him to apply his sacrifice on the cross to you. And then begin to follow him.
#3 He Is Serving As Our High Priest
Jesus not only fulfilled the duties of an OT priest, by offering a sacrifice for our sins--he also continues to fulfill the duties of an OT High Priest on our behalf.
-An OT High Priest was a cut above all the other priests. Once a year, he alone would enter the inner sanctum of the Temple--the Holy of Holies--to meet with God.
-Now, part of his job was to offer an annual animal sacrifice there for the sins of the people. But he was also there--LISTEN--to seek God’s blessing on the people’s lives. He was there as the people’s advocate. He was their intercessor before God.
-In fact, the High Priest wore the very names of the twelve tribes of Israel on both his turban and his breastplate. He wore their names--this was to underscore the fact that he was their representative, their biggest supporter in God’s presence.
-With that picture in mind, let me read to you another passage from Hebrews that describes how an ascended Jesus now plays this role--as our High Priest. READ 4:14-16.
If we need grace and mercy in a time of need--what do we do (v.16)? We approach God’s throne of grace. (This is just another way of saying: We pray!)
-What are the chances that God will take our requests seriously? 100%. Why? Because we have a High Priest, a personal advocate who represents us in God’s presence. Who? Jesus Christ!
-The Apostle Paul puts it this way (Romans 8:34): Christ Jesus who died--more than that, who was raised to life--is at the right hand of God and is also interceding for us.
-Can you imagine this? Let me try another analogy. Let’s say that you buy a car from a dealer--and something goes wrong with it. You bring it back again and again, but it never gets fixed. In fact, you’re just passed from one mechanic to another--and you get the idea that they’re not taking your problem too seriously.
*But one day you make a new friend. And you discover that he’s the son of the service manager at this car dealership. And he learns about your situation.
*Let me take care of this, he says. And he goes straight to dad. What happens? Your car is repaired pronto--and you’re not even charged for it.
-I’m not saying that Jesus makes all our problems go away. I’m just saying that the Son of God is our High Priest, our Advocate before the Heavenly Father. WOW!!
#4 He Has Supreme Authority Over Every Power In the Universe
Satan and his demons must have really partied on the evening of Good Friday. They had destroyed Jesus. God’s plan for the salvation of mankind had been thwarted.
-But their weekend orgy was cut short when Jesus rose from the dead on Easter morning. You can bet that the powers of evil began wringing their hands and saying: This is not good--this is not good!
-Well, they had no idea how "not good" this was for them. You see, the resurrection was just the beginning of their demise. Their downfall kicked into high gear when Jesus ascended to heaven.
-Listen to the words with which the heavenly Father welcomes his Son home (Hebrews 1:13, quoting Psalm 110:1): Sit at my right hand until I make your enemies a footstool for your feet.
-Other NT writers paint a similar picture. The Apostle Peter says (I Peter 3:22): (Jesus Christ) has gone into heaven and is at God’s right hand--with angels, authorities and powers in submission to him.
-The Apostle Paul writes (Ephesians 1:20, 21): God raised Christ from the dead and seated him at his right hand in the heavenly realms, far above all rule and authority, power and dominion, and every title that can be given, not only in the present age but also in the one to come.
Friends--there is no power in the universe, good or evil, that doesn’t have to submit to Christ. (2X) And that means--if Christ is your Savior and Lord... Well, I’ll come back to this later.
#5 He Is Leading and Empowering His Church Through the Holy Spirit
I was just reading to you, a minute ago, from Ephesians 1--about the ascended Christ’s authority over every power in the universe.
-Let me read the next two verses in that passage--vv.21, 22--the last two verses of Ephesians 1: And God placed all things under Jesus’ feet and appointed him to be head over everything for the church, which is his body, the fullness of him who fills everything in every way.
-When Jesus ascended to heaven, he became head of his church. What does a head do?
-I was reminded of the importance of a head just recently--because I needed an MRI of my brain. I’ve been having some funky things go wrong in my body lately (don’t ask me to explain--just pray for me)--but the doctor felt it was important to check out my brain. Why? Because that’s the control center. My brain directs and empowers the rest of my body. (Just for the record--the MRI showed that I do have a brain!)
-Jesus is the head of the church. When people tell me what a cool place CCC is--the lives that are being transformed, the marriages that are being rebuilt, the poor and needy who are being cared for, the children and youth who are being spiritually nurtured (on and on the list goes)--I know who gets the credit for all this! The ascended Jesus!! The head of the Church.
And Jesus works in concert with another member of the Trinity to make all this happen in the lives of believers: The Holy Spirit.
-The Bible says that 10 days after Jesus ascended to heaven, he poured out his Spirit on his followers! The Apostle Peter, who was one of the first guys to receive this special gift, rushed out into the streets of Jerusalem and preached a riveting sermon to thousands of people, which included these words (Acts 2:32, 33):
*God has raised this Jesus to life, and we are all witnesses of the fact. Exalted to the right hand of God, he has received from the Father the promised Holy Spirit and has poured out what you now see and hear.
-You see, because Jesus ascended to heaven, he is now able to pour the Holy Spirit into the lives of his followers. People like you and me. We can have God on the inside! This is even better than when Jesus was physically here on earth.
-That’s not my opinion. That’s what Jesus himself said. When Jesus was getting ready to leave this earth, his disciples were so sad--they were going to lose their best friend. But Jesus told them (John 16:7): I tell you the truth: It is for your good that I am going away. Unless I go away, the Counselor (Holy Spirit) will not come to you; but if I go, I will send him to you. Once Jesus ascended to heaven, he sent us the Holy Spirit!
-Why is having the Holy Spirit an even better deal than having Jesus himself around? First, because the Holy Spirit can be everywhere at once--he’s not limited to one location. And, second, because the Holy Spirit comes to live in us. Jesus was God with us. The Holy Spirit is God in us.
-The Holy Spirit is an ever-present: counselor, comforter, strengthener, encourager, teacher, you-name-it.
#6 He Is Preparing a Home for Us
TURN: John 14.
-IL: Some of you aren’t old enough to remember this--but in the 1960’s, the Russians were the first to put a man in space. And when their cosmonaut returned to earth, this proud atheist announced: I have been to outer space, and I can tell you from firsthand observation, I did not see God or heaven!
-Well, you can take your cues from that cosmonaut’s report--or you can take your cues from Jesus Christ on this topic. Here’s what Jesus said. READ: John 14:1, 2.
-What’s the ascended Jesus currently doing? Preparing a home for us. And when I say for us, I mean--for those who put their hope and trust in Jesus for salvation. Ignore, him, reject him, spurn him on earth--then you forfeit a home with him in heaven.
Let me add one cool footnote to this point. If Jesus is currently preparing a home for us in heaven--that means that he’s already there to welcome us when we die! The ascended Jesus is our welcoming party! (Come on in--let me show you around!)
-I love the story of Stephen being welcomed into heaven by Jesus. Stephen was the very first Christ follower to give up his life for the Lord. He was stoned to death, because of his faith in Jesus.
-But as Stephen was dying, Acts 7:55 says: Stephen...looked up to heaven and saw the glory of God, and Jesus standing at the right hand of God.
-Does anything about Stephen’s description here strike you? Stephen saw Jesus standing at the right hand of God. Wait a minute! We’ve already learned that Jesus is now seated at the right hand of God. How come Stephen saw him standing?
-The Bible doesn’t explicitly say--but most Bible scholars would agree, that Jesus was standing to welcome Stephen home.
-My dear friend, Beth--who I told you, on Easter weekend, was dying of cancer--went home to Jesus this past Tuesday morning at 9:24. When her husband called me with the news, I could just imagine Jesus standing to welcome her!
#7 He Is Planning His Return for Us
If your Bible is still open to John 14--the first two verses of which, describe Jesus’ preparation of our heavenly home--look at the next verse...v.3.
-And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back and take you to be with me that you also may be where I am.
-You know what the ascended Jesus is doing right now? He’s getting ready to return for us. We don’t know when that will happen (maybe it will be in our lifetime), but we do know how it will happen.
-In Acts chapter one--Jesus’ followers were told that he would come back in the same way that he ascended to heaven. Let me read that passage to you. READ: Acts 1:9-11.
-This passage describes Jesus’ ascension. If we had the time, I’d love to have you turn to I Thessalonians, chapter 4, and look at a passage that describes Jesus’ second coming. The parallels between the two passages are amazing--Jesus will come back in the same way that he ascended.
-People saw his ascension--they will see his second coming (it’ll be announced with a trumpet blast!). There were angels at his ascension--there will be angels at his second coming. Jesus goes up in a cloud at his ascension (symbolic of God’s glory)--he’ll descend through clouds at his second coming.
-Jesus’ ascension was a preview of coming attractions: the second coming of Christ! What a day that will be!!
Let me ask you a question. Are you looking forward to that day?
-The Apostle Paul told Timothy (II Timothy 4:8) that Jesus has a special award in store for believers who long for his appearing. Do you long for it?
-I remember, as a kid, hearing the second coming of Jesus preached about in church. And I remember thinking, as a child: I hope he doesn’t come before that Cubs’ game we have tickets for. Or: I hope he doesn’t come before my birthday party. Or: I hope he doesn’t come before I get to drive a car.
-You know what? I’m no longer reluctant to see Jesus return. Not just because I’m older and wiser. But because my love for Jesus keeps growing and growing--so I can’t imagine anything more wonderful than seeing him break through the clouds. I want to see him! (2X)
-(By the way--I’m already doing some background study for a series on the second coming of Christ. Sometime in the next year. I hope he doesn’t come before...)
#8 He Is Giving Us the Benefits of Being United with Him
TURN: Ephesians 2:6; Colossians 3:1, 2.
-IL: While you’re turning...a quick anecdote. Last summer, a good friend of mine invited me to join him in a luxury skybox at a professional soccer game. (He’s an executive for a company that was renting the skybox for the night.)
*Well, my son is a soccer player, so the two of headed off to the game. When we got there, we parked our car, and we got in line. The stadium gates weren’t open yet, so we were two people among a huge crowd of folks waiting to get in.
*But then my friend, who was already in the stadium, spotted me standing in line. He plucked Andrew and me out of the crowd, ushered us past security to the skybox, and turned us loose on all the food we could eat. What a game!
-Friends. If you have put your trust in Jesus, if your life is united with him--there is a sense in which you are already where he is. You already have some of the benefits of his skybox.
-Does this sound strange to you? READ: Ephesians 2:6. Wow! Because our lives our united with the ascended Christ, we have heavenly: power; access to God’s throne; sense of our eternal home.
-That’s why the Apostle Paul writes, in Colossians 3:1, 2... READ.
-CONCLUSION: Acts 1 (angels to gawkers): Why are you standing...? GO!
