ASCENSION DAY
Several important events mark the life of our Saviour and Lord Jesus Christ. Traditionally the Universal Church has been very dutifully celebrating Christmas (day of birth), Good Friday (the day the atoning work was completed on the Cross) and Easter (Resurrection day) the final event …however the Day of Ascension has not been given due importance. Why? Honestly, I do not want to hazard a guess but for whatever reasons no serious attempt is made to glean valuable lessons from the Ascention day which marked the end of Earthly mission of our Lord and Master . In this message, I intend to bring forth some of the lessons which have touched my heart…
Prophecy…
“Prophecy” remarked a wise soul “is nothing but history written in advance”. Quite true! Have we ever wondered, why there were plethora of prophecies regarding Jesus’ I advent? He could have well taken been born to a virgin supernaturally, lived a sinless life, died an atoning death on the cross, rose again providing the salvation to fallen mankind and ascended without a single prophecy foretelling all these events. But there was a prophecy regarding every single landmark occurrence in His spotless life. If Isaiah 7:14 foretold His miraculous birth then Micah 5:2 blared about the place of His birth (i,e…Bethlehem). Ditto the same about the prophecy regarding His crucifixion in Psalm 22 (penned by David at a time crucifixion as a mode of execution did not exist), resurrection in Psalm 16:10. So if there were Prophecies regarding those landmark events. Would not there be a Prophecy regarding ascension. Yes ,go no further than… PSALM 68:18.
So why so many prophesies regarding His I advent? Remember on His single, singular life depended the very salvation of Mankind. So the Almighty God did not want any rationalist to attribute His unique life, death and resurrection to a mere accident or coincidence. Let me illustrate. I had a bosom buddy by name Anandeep in my school and Junior college days. After I accepted the Lord in my Junior college days, I was particularly guilty of never having shared the Gospel “full-throttle” with him. After passing out of Junior college, we pursued different fields in education as such we almost lost completely touch with each other. With passage of time, having grown more in the Lord there was that ever-growing burning desire in my heart to share the Gospel with an old mate of my alma mater. Oh how I wanted to share about the NEW joys (I was growing spiritually, you see) of the walking with the good Lord, with the chum, I had shared so many childhood joys! So I prayed fervently about it. Some years later, when I was traveling in a train in the evening hours (Rayalaseema Express to be precise, which plies between Hyderabad and Thirupathi in Andra Pradesh) I DID MEET my friend. That night, I shared the Gospel with all my heart, soul and might. I profusely thanked the Lord for all the happy time I had in my journey with my friend and the opportunity to share the Gospel with him, what with others in the compartment listening too! Look at the Lord’s providence! May be, if I had met good ole’ Anandeep in a busy bazaar, he may not have listened to me so patiently. Boy, when the good Lord answers our prayers, He does it in the best way possible! Of course my rationalist friends would doubtless attribute this fulfilling experience of mine to an accident or a coincidence. Not for them a belief that my “train encounter” was a result of passionate prayers. Now consider for a moment…if everything about my travel on that particular day when I met my old pal had been foretold by way of a writing in a certain book, would they still put it down to an accident or a coincidence? NO WAY! Ditto the same about Christ’s life…IT WAS NOT BY CHANCE THAT EVERYTHING HAPPENED IN HIS FIRST COMING, THE WAY IT DID!
So it follows that if all Biblical prophecies have been fulfilled regarding His First advent, would not all the prophecies (Matt 24:7) regarding His Second advent be also fulfilled besides others like in Psalm 2, Matt 24, Mark 13, Luke 21? SURELY YES!
Pentecost…
But very truly I tell you, it is for your good that I am going away. Unless I go away, the Advocate will not come to you; but if I go, I will send him to you.-John 16:7
Ascention of our Lord also paved the way for the fulfillment of His promise of sending the Holy Spirit. Yes, the Divine Comforter did descend on the 50th Day after the Atonement was completed. With the descent of the Holy Spirit on the Disciples, they were never the same again. In one moment, they were transformed from being timid, cowardly (did they not desert the Lord on the night of betrayal –Mark 14:50) men into bold lions who would lay everything on the altar for the Lord. Many of them would die as Martyrs….later on.
Most importantly, the Holy Spirit brings love into our lives (Romans 5:5), which is most important propelling force for preaching the Gospel. While gifted Servants of God are especially empowered by the Holy Spirit to do Signs and wonders, every Christian need display the Fruit of the Spirit…which begins with LOVE!!! (Galatians 5:22-23). On preaching power-packed messages remarked a wise saint “Preach the Gospel at all times, use words only when necessary”. In everyday lives, It is display of Christ-like love which attracts the unbelievers to the Lord!!!
Palace…
My Father’s house has many rooms; if that were not so, would I have told you that I am going there to prepare a place for you?- John 14:2
The Lord is preparing unimaginable blessings for us in Heaven, after His ascension. Set your hearts and minds on things above…says Paul in anticipation of the Heavenly riches in Colossians 3:1-2. Honestly no eye has seen, no ear has heard nor no mind ever imagined the blessings the Lord has in store for those who love Him (I Cor 2:9).
What more here is the Lord’s promise…”being confident of this, that he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus.” – Phillipians 1:6.
More than all the Heavenly rewards may our love for Him be the driving force to please Him at all times…even as the going gets really tough at times.
Priest…
Now the main point of what we are saying is this: We do have such a high priest, who sat down at the right hand of the throne of the Majesty in heaven,-Heb 8:1
It is only after the Ascension that the good Lord has begun His High Priestly Ministry. Praise God for our Saviour Christ the High Priest who is also sympathetic and empathetic with us as He has undergone exactly the type of difficulties we all undergo (Heb 2:17-18). Down in the dumps? Nagged down by feelings of guilt…remember we have the High Priest who is interceding on our behalf (John 1:7-1 John 2:2).
So Dear Friends, let’s praise and thank the Father for the Ascention Day for it fulfilled the Prophecies, paved the way for the Pentecost, set in motion the building of Heavenly Mansions for us and also marked the beginning of our Saviours High priestly Ministry. HALLELUJAH!!!
Suresh Manoharan
