APOSTLES’ CREED: Our Savior Is in Heaven
In our study of the Apostles’ Creed, we began with God the Father, and then focused on God the Son coming to earth: He was born, he died, and he rose from the dead. Now we say, “He ascended into heaven, and sits at the right hand of God the Father Almighty.”
“HE ASCENDED INTO HEAVEN”
When we think about what that means, it raises some questions. Acts 1 tells how Jesus was taken up into a cloud, in the sight of the apostles. Does that mean heaven is “up,” or out in space? Heaven is not part of the universe; it is beyond it. J.I Packer points out that if Jesus was going to leave, the options were up, down, sideways, or vanishing. Jesus chose to go up, to signify that he would be reigning over all things.
When Jesus ascended to heaven, did God abandon the earth? God is not only in heaven; he is everywhere. (If it blows your mind to think about that, welcome to the club. A god that would fit into our puny human minds would be a god of our own creation.)
To be more specific about how God would be present on earth after Jesus ascended into heaven, Jesus told his disciples that the Holy Spirit would be taking over his role as their friend, guide, and teacher. In John 14:16-18, we read, “I will ask the Father, and he will give you another advocate to help you and be with you forever—the Spirit of truth…I will not leave you as orphans; I will come to you.” This is the Trinity in 3 verses: the Son asks the Father to send the Spirit to be with them, and when the Spirit comes, Jesus himself is with them! The Holy Spirit is so closely tied to the Son that he is called the Spirit of Jesus in Acts 16:7 and Philippians 1:19.
Jesus ascended to heaven because he had completed his work on earth. What is doing in heaven, and what does that mean for us TODAY?
“HE SITS AT THE RIGHT HAND OF GOD THE FATHER ALMIGHTY”
That is not literal, or course. The seat at the right hand of a king is the most honored and powerful. (In common English, a “right hand man” was the chief assistant of someone in authority.) Sitting at the right hand of the Father, Jesus Christ shares the glory and authority of the Father.
What does this mean for us? It is good to have friends in high places, but nothing compares to having our Savior in the highest place.
OUR SAVIOR HAS ALL AUTHORITY AND POWER.
1 Peter 3:22 says, [Jesus Christ] has gone into heaven and is at God’s right hand—with angels, authorities and powers in submission to him.”
Do you ever sense that there are evil spiritual forces at work in the world? We see evil dictators and political corruption, even in America. We see evil forces in our culture, where the devil’s lies become mainstream, and the influences of society can be destructive. You may see it in the business world, where the economic system does not support ethical behavior. You may see it in people caught in an evil web of drugs or pornography. You might even see it within yourself: sinful thoughts, destructive attitudes, or compulsive behavior.
Jesus has authority over every evil power, every person who might drag you down. When he lived on earth, he stood up to self-righteous Pharisees and self-dealing politicians. He defended the poor, and those victimized by others. He reached out to sinners, even releasing people from the power of demons and unclean spirits.
Yet Jesus was limited in his time on earth. He could only heal one person at a time, in whatever place he happened to be. He did not cast out demons in people far away from him, and he did not share the good news of the kingdom of God with people in China or the Americas.
Now that Jesus is in heaven, he is not limited to any particular place or time. Ephesians 1:20-22 says, “[God] seated [Christ] at his right hand in the heavenly realms, far above all rule and authority, power and dominion, and every name that is invoked, not only in the present age but also in the one to come. And God placed all things under his feet and appointed him to be head over everything FOR THE CHURCH…”
Christ uses his authority and power for the church, and through the church. That is why he said, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.” (Matthew 28:18-20) The church goes out to make disciples with the authority of Jesus, and the gates of hell will not prevail against it.
Yet sometimes it seems that the devil wins. The forces of evil prevail, as cheaters prosper, while righteous acts are unseen or even opposed. A believer who shares the gospel might be mocked, or in a country of persecution, imprisoned. Sometimes, Christ allows forces of evil to work in this world, especially if people allow them. Yet he restrains them, to protect and deliver us. That is why we pray, “Lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil.”
We can live in the confidence that Christ has power over unseen spiritual forces, not only personally, but also at a global level. In the end, Christ Jesus is on the throne.
In Acts 7, Stephen, one of seven men chosen to serve the church, was brought before the authorities and falsely accused. Boldly he proclaimed his faith, and boldly he spoke the truth to the jealous liars who opposed him. A crowd began to stone him—a good man, destroyed by evil men. How did Stephen respond in the face of raging evil? “Stephen, full of the Holy Spirit, looked up to heaven and saw the glory of God, and Jesus standing at the right hand of God. ‘Look,’ he said, ‘I see heaven open and the Son of Man standing at the right hand of God.’" (Acts 7:54-56)
Stephen was given a vision of Jesus at the right hand of the Father, and it enabled him to die with confidence and grace. Our Savior has all authority and power over evil.
OUR SAVIOR IS OUR ADVOCATE.
In the Old Testament, a righteous man named Job endured great suffering. His friends came to comfort him, but they were no help at all. Job knew that only God could help him, but God seemed not to be listening. Finally, in desperate faith, Job imagined an advocate in heaven, whom he had never seen or even heard about. His words were prophetic: “Even now my witness is in heaven; my advocate is on high. My intercessor is my friend as my eyes pour out tears to God; on behalf of a man he pleads with God as one pleads for a friend.” (Job 16:19-21)
Our friend is Jesus, who said, “I have called you friends.” He is our advocate in heaven.
When we sin, Jesus himself speaks to the Father on our behalf. As Romans 8:33-34 says, “Who will bring any charge against those whom God has chosen? It is God who justifies. Who then is the one who condemns? No one. 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.”
When we feel unworthy, we come to the Father through Christ, who died for us. As Hebrews 4:14-16 says, “Since we have a great high priest who has ascended into heaven, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold firmly to the faith we profess…Let us then approach God’s throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need.”
OUR SAVIOR IS HOLDING A PLACE FOR US IN HEAVEN.
In my first year of seminary, we were assigned to visit several times in a nursing home, to become familiar with what people were experiencing. On my very first visit, I met a man in a wheelchair in the hallway. He looked me in the eye, and quoted John 14:2-3, “In my Father's house are many rooms; if it were not so, I would have told you. I am going there to prepare a place for you. 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.” As I visited more often, I realized that the man was fixated on those verses; he repeated them constantly. Considering his circumstances, maybe that made sense for him.
Yet we should not give up on our lives on earth.
****Fred Smith was a respected Christian leader, who was almost 90 years old when he was hospitalized and on dialysis. In a semi-conscious condition, family members heard him repeat, "I want to go home … I want to go home." After an emotional family conference, they concluded that they should respect his wishes and allow him to die. They agreed to remove him from dialysis, anticipating that his death would come within 3-5 days. For the next 36 hours, they sang, read Scripture, prayed, and said their goodbyes. Unexpectedly, the promised peaceful decline turned into pulmonary failure and choking aspiration. His daughter Brenda sat there alone at midnight begging for answers. The coughing, however, broke through Fred's deep sleep, and he awoke. Brenda quietly told him of the family's decision to follow his desire to "go home." She explained that he would slip into unconsciousness and then step "from here to there." Suddenly Fred's eyes were wide open and he made the effort to speak: "Home? I didn't mean heaven, I meant Parkchester" (his house on Parkchester Drive). Laughing through tears, Brenda quickly called the doctors to reschedule his dialysis. He lived a productive life for more than a year, before going to his final home. (CT, c. 2005)***
Christians are sometimes criticized for having their “head in the clouds.” That’s not all bad, but it should help us get our “head in the game”!
In Colossians 3:1-4, Paul says, “Since, then, you have been raised with Christ, set your hearts on things above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. Set your minds on things above, not on earthly things. For you died, and your life is now hidden with Christ in God. When Christ, who is your life, appears, then you also will appear with him in glory.”
Paul says we should have our head in the clouds, but our life with Christ in heaven gives focus to how we live on this earth. Paul goes on to say, “Put to death, therefore, whatever belongs to your earthly nature: sexual immorality, impurity, lust, evil desires and greed, which is idolatry….now you must also rid yourselves of all such things as these: anger, rage, malice, slander, and filthy language from your lips...Therefore, as God’s chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience. Bear with each other and forgive one another if any of you has a grievance against someone. Forgive as the Lord forgave you. And over all these virtues put on love, which binds them all together in perfect unity. (Colossians 3:5-14)
The life which Jesus has for us in heaven begins on earth. “Set your minds on things above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God.”
“He ascended into heaven, and sits at the right hand of God the Father Almighty.”
Our Savior rules: He has power and authority over every challenge we confront in life.
Our Savior loves and intercedes for us: He helps us in our weakness and failure.
Our Savior has prepared a place for us: We are destined for glory.
