Ascension Sunday
Hello, I'm pastor Greg of Calvary Reformed Church. And I will be bringing a teaching today on ascension Sunday. Hallmark has never done anything big with Ascension Day, and within the church there is a lot understanding of Ascension Day which has been lost.
I'm going to give a short teaching on a few ideas of Ascension Day but before we do pray with me. Father God has we come to you we seek your wisdom ---Oh Lord I seek your wisdom so I can
direct people to you O Lord, so that I can engage your people who are watching the video the learning the teaching and that they can learn this morning today from you through the video. Lord we ask this through your Grace and name amen.
Forty days after the resurrection is when the church celebrates as Ascension Day. In Luke chapter 24 we read Jesus led the disciples and others out to the vicinity of Bethany. He lifted his hands he blessed them, and while he was blessing
them he left them, and he was taken up into heaven. Then they worshiped him, and they returned to Jerusalem with great joy. They stayed continually at the temple praising God.
Ascension Sunday is one of those Sundays that that the church in many respects has lost some
Of the meaning----while other churches still hold on to it but a lot of the Protestant churches, we've lost
some of the meaning of what ascension Sunday actually.
Well today I want to give just a very short
teaching on Ascension Sunday and some of the aspects of it.
The first three ideas that I am going to bring up are ancient ideas. Some of you may have heard of the Heidelberg catechism written 500 years ago. The catechism is a writing which deals with question and answer and it asked a question and that gives an answer. It asks the question about what Ascension Day is what is why the Ascension is important.
It gives three answers
the first one is the fact that that the Ascension had to take place. Christ's bodily aspect here on earth had to ascend. Number one ahead of our catechism and biblically it tells us that Christ is our advocate now and he is in the presence of God the Father he is our advocate.
I can recall growing up my biggest advocates were my mom and dad. I can recall even being a young adult and then an adult before my mom and dad passed away they were my biggest advocates. My mom spent hundreds of hours--thousands of hours I believe at football games, not just for me but for all of her grandsons went to college. Football games, she had no idea what was going on but she
was always cheering on her son or her grandsons in football, she was their advocate.
Friends you and I we needed Jesus to ascend into heaven so that he could be in the presence of his Father and my Father to be our advocate. Romans 8:34 says this to us who is he that condemns, Christ Jesus who died more than that who was raised to life and is seated at the right hand of God the Father and intercedes for us. Who better
to intercede for us than God the Father.
I can recall when I first came to Calvary and worship service has changed, and we went from more of a traditional style trying to do - to do the
contemporary we started doing a band with the drums and guitars. Betty D. bless your soul she's with the Lord, now but she was one of my biggest
advocates--- When John - here boyfriend would get upset over the change of worship styles she would always say no let's go with him let's go with Pastor Greg. We want to reach our grandchildren and
great-grandchildren she was an advocate.
How much greater is the advocate that we
have with Jesus Christ as he is interceding for us and we're told in John chapter 2 first John chapter 2 my dear children I write this to you so that you will not sin--- but if anyone does sin--- we have one who speaks to the Father and our defense Jesus Christ who is the righteous one----He is the atoning one for
our sins he is the atoning one not only for ours but also the sins of the whole world.
Friends, Christ had to have the ascension
take place so that it could be with the
Father to be our advocate.
But there is another aspect of why the Ascension is so important.
Number two is that we have our flesh in heaven as a pledged that he as the head of the church will take us his members up to himself, this is a hard concept for people the reality is when--- when Jesus Christ became incarnate he became one like you and I. He took on human flesh and yet
that human flesh had a limit to it. Even after is the resurrection he still had a body and we don't really totally understand he could eat and drink but he
could still pass through the walls when the disciples were behind closed doors. But Christ needed to ascend in order that he could be within heaven in the presence of His Father to take us ---his members one day up to him.
A lot of you have heard me talk about the fact that my job is to is to not only comfort the afflicted and afflict the comfortable, but also seek to be used by God to change people's eternal address from
hell to heaven. To change our eternal address from hell to heaven---- how does that change??? When we accept Christ within our lives--- when we freely say Jesus Christ come in my life, I want to be part of your family. That is how our eternal address changes.
I am wearing my informal air force chaplains’ uniform right now. In the next couple of days will be my last days within the military after 33 years and 3
months 17 February 1987... in Dr. Stan Rock's office He was a captain in the Navy, and Reformed Church pastor working at Western seminary as a professor. He did the oath of office with me. I was a young man of 27 years old. I freely said I will stand up to support and defend the Constitution of the United States it changed my direction of life. What we are saying here is that that Jesus Christ being in heaven will take us his members to himself he desires us not just to have a change here but to have an eternal change of address.
In John 14:2 it says in my Father's house are many rooms if it were not so, I would have told you, but I go to prepare a place for you. That is amazing
that Jesus Christ goes to prepare a place for you and for I for our eternal address.
The catechism goes into the third point of why is Ascension Day important--- why is the ascension of Jesus Christ important? The third point is
that he sends us his spirit as a down payment by whose power we seek those things which are above where Christ sits at the right hand of God, not on the things of Earth as I would say a little bit earlier it's a little hard for us to totally comprehend and understand this idea that when Christ had a bodily form he was not ever able to be everywhere at
once.
Christ needed to ascend so that he could as he said in John 14 I will ask the Father and He will give you another counselor to be with you forever the spirit of the truth, the spirit the world cannot accept him because it neither sees him nor knows him, but you know him and he lives within you. Acts chapter 2 says when the day of Pentecost came, they were all together in one place suddenly the sound of a blowing of a violent wind came from
heaven and filled the place and they were all filled with the Holy Spirit because what would look like tongues of fire the Holy Spirit came upon them.
Christ needed to ascend so that the Father could send the spirit to live within each one of our lives and work within each one of our lives.
The Catechism through scripture says scripture says three things Christ is our advocate he defends us he. He speaks out for us we have flesh in heaven, in order that we know he will take us his members up to himself one day. And He sent us His Holy Spirit the ---spirit that dwells within our lives.
But there is another idea here that I want to
bring up too that the Catechism does not talk about.
If we look in the first part of the of the Book of Luke chapter 1 if you have the time at home read it. Luke chapter 1 Zechariah is in the temple serving in-- the temple and he sees one of the angels and he cannot speak. And this angel says that he will have a son with his wife Elizabeth, and they're both very old. Well if you know the story that son was John the Baptizer, who was the forerunner of Jesus Christ.
But just follow me with us Luke chapter 1 starts with worship in the temple worship of Yahweh God in the temple. Luke chapter 24 what I read in the beginning and they worshiped Jesus and they returned to Jerusalem with great joy.
Wow great joy 40 days before, while with the resurrection they were excited, but they were still baffled three days before that--- with the crucifixion they were lost they were destitute and now they have great joy.
Ever notice there is a change within our lives when we first come to know who Jesus Christ is.
So later in life as we grow if we continue to grow and mature in our faith and it says they stayed continually at the temple praising God.
Luke 1 talks about being in the temple Luke 24 talks about being in the temple praising Yahweh God. Friends I love this I love this aspect our lives are called to be bookend ---from beginning to end with praising God--- our lives are to be fenced in hedged in with praising God.
We think we want to be free and we want to run around and do whatever we want--- but the reality is God says NO. I want to give a protection of you--- and I want you from your womb to your tomb to be in praise of me. And the disciples they worshipped.
How many of us aren't missing worship?
Together? I know I miss worship Sunday's for my entire life have been that that anchor, not a negative anchor but the positive anchor--- of the anchor of who I am --and whose I am. It's the beginning and the ending of the week of worship--- and worship and they worshiped and then they returned with
Joy.
As Christians most of you a lot of you have heard me say this before--- as Christians we should be the most joyful and yet regretfully sometimes we're the most crabby sort, this is sad--- even myself included at times, we know who's won the battle---JESUS--- we know who's won the war—Jesus-- we know who holds our lives—Jesus--
we know where our eternal address lies –Jesus- we can walk in joy here and now….as the disciples stayed continually at the temple praising God.
I love that I had the opportunity to be in church every day and worship and prayer. Every day
we are called to be in worship and prayer ---the bookends of our lives-- worship / joy / prayer/ praise.
There is one last aspect I want to bring up and I am almost done. The last aspect is is when we
read Luke 24 the verse earlier talks of the fact that Jesus led them out he led them out that word ---is also the word that is used in the Old Testament when it's talks about the fact that that Yahweh God led the Jewish people out of Egypt…out of slavery He led them out. And by leading us out of our sin it leads to joy and a praise ---leads to the eternal
change of address the disciples finally understood with the Ascension.
I think they finally understood what Jesus had
been teaching them for three plus years and they left in joy--- and they left to go worship--- how about you today? Are you walking in joy do you understand the joy of the Lord that he desires to give to us through the Holy Spirit? Living in us and blessing us. Do you understand the fact that that that Christ desires to be with us through the
Holy Spirit--- so that we can worship Yahweh God. We can worship our Savior. We can give our lives and we can be assured of the outcome of our lives whatever takes place. My eternal destiny --that my
eternal address is secure in him but my time here and now is to be filled with joy / worship / and praising God may you know this also on Ascension Day Sunday.
In the name of the Father Son the Holy Spirit,
may the Lord bless you and keep you, may He lift up His grace in His mercy upon you and grant you peace Amen.
