TRAVELING WITH JESUS WAS ALWAYS AN ENCOUNTER THAT WAS ALWAYS LIFE-CHANGING AND SPIRIT-DIRECTING MOMENTS WHERE EYES, MINDS, AND HEARTS WERE OPENED TO THE MESSAGE OF GOD’S REDEEMING LOVE THROUGH JESUS.
THIS PARTICULAR DAY WOULD BE NO DIFFERENT. IT HAD BEEN 40-DAYS SINCE JESUS HAD RISEN FROM THE DEAD. WE COULD ASSUME THAT, BY NOW, THE DISICPLES THOUGHT JESUS WOULD BE WITH THEM AND STAY WITH THEM FOR THE REST OF THEIR LIVES. JESUS REMINDS THEM IN VERSE 44, “EVERYTHING MUST BE FULFILLED THAT IS WRITTEN ABOUT ME IN THE LAW OF MOSES, THE PROPHETS AND THE PSALMS.”
JESUS GRANTS THEM AN EPHIPHANY OF SPIRITUAL EDUCATION AS HE REMINDS THEM OF ALL THAT HE HAD TAUGHT THEM ABOUT HIMSELF. HE THEN LIFTS HIS HANDS TO BOTH COMMISSION AND BLESS THEM TO BE HIS WITNESSES AND THE CHURCH TRIUMPHANT.
THEN, ACCORDING TO ACTS 1:9, “AND WHEN HE HAD SAID THESE THINGS, AS THEY WERE LOOKING ON, HE WAS LIFTED UP, AND A CLOUD TOOK HIM OUT OF THEIR SIGHT.” THE CLOUD HAS ALWAYS BEEN A SYMBOL FOR GOD’S GLORY. JESUS IS GLORIFIED AS HE ASCENDS BACK TO THE FATHER IN HEAVEN.
THE ASCENSION OF JESUS WAS ALSO THE CROWNING EVENT OF HIS EXALTATION AND THE NECESSARY PRECURSOR TO HIS PROMISED AND CONTINUED WORK THROUGH THE HOLY SPIRIT AND THE CHURCH.
THE ACENSION OF JESUS CHRIST TO HEAVEN! IT IS SOMETHING WE BELIEVE IN! WE AFFIRM THIS BELIEF AS PART OF “THE APOSTLES’ CREED” AS WELL AS THE “NICENE CREED.”
WE STATE IN THE NICENE CREED, “HE ASCENDED INTO HEAVEN AND IS SEATED AT THE RIGHT HAND OF THE FATHER. HE WILL COME AGAIN IN GLORY TO JUDGE THE LIVING AND THE DEAD AND HIS KINGDOM WILL HAVE NO END.”
IN THE APOSTLES’ CREED, WE SAY, “HE ASCENDED INTO HEAVEN AND SITS AT THE RIGHT HAND OF GOD THE FATHER ALMIGHTY. FROM THENCE HE WILL COME TO JUDGE THE LIVING AND THE DEAD.”
I FOUND A STATEMENT BY REV. MICHAEL CASEY, WHO WROTE ON THE ACENSION, “BY THE MYSTERY OF HIS ASCENSION, JESUS HAS PASSED BEYOND THE LIMITATIONS OF SPACE AND TIME; HE IS AS PRESENT NOW AS EVER HE WAS IN GALILEE, THOUGH UNSEEN.”
WE CAN FIND IT COMFORTING THAT THERE ISN’T ANYTHING IN BOTH OUR HUMAN AND UNSEEN WORLD THAT CAN PREVENT OR LIMIT JESUS FROM INTERACTING WITH US SO THAT WE CAN DEVELOP A LOVING, PERSONAL AND INTIMATE RELATIONSHIP WITH HIM.
AS A WAY OF DEVELOPING THAT RELATIONSHIP, JESUS, DELEGATED TO US, OUR MISSION BEFORE ASCENDING INTO HEAVEN. HE TOLD US TO WORK AT TWO SPECIFIC TASKS.
JESUS SAID THOSE TASKS IN OUR MISSION, IN VERSE 47, ARE FOR US TO PREACH REPENTANCE AND THE REMISSION OF SINS AMONG ALL THE NATIONS OF THE WORLD. LET’S LOOK AT THOSE TWO!
REPENTANCE: IT WAS THE MESSAGE THAT JOHN THE BAPTIST PREACHED, A MESSAGE WE EMBRACE TO KEEP FROM PERISHING AND IT IS AN ACT THAT ENVOKES THE ANGELSTO REJOICE IN HEAVEN. THAT MESSAGE IS SINNERS WHO REPENT. SO, IT IS DOING AS MARK 1:15, TELLS US: “REPENT AND BELIEVE THE GOOD NEWS.”
THE WORD “REPENT” MEANS “TO PERCEIVE AFTERWARD.” IT TELLS US THERE IS A “CHANGE” AFTER SOMETHING HAS OCCURRED. THIS WORD IMPLIES “A CHANGE OF MIND OR PURPOSE” WITH THE END RESULT OF COMPLETELY CHANGING COURSE OR COMPLETELY CHANGING DIRECTION. IT IS A 180-DEGREE TURN AROUND!
WE NEED TO MAKE CONFESSION AND REPENTANCE A PART OF OUR WALK WITH GOD. REPENTANCE IS OUR WAY OF ENDING EACH DAY IN RECONCILIATION. WE SHOULD ALWAYS GIVE AN ACCOUNT FOR EVERY ONE OF OUR SINS THE MOMENT THE HOLY SPIRIT CONFRONTS US WITH THEM THROUGH CONVICTION.
WE JOIN THE WORDS OF DAVID IN PSALM 51:1-4, 7, “BE MERCIFUL TO ME, O GOD, BECAUSE OF YOUR CONSTANT LOVE. BECAUSE OF YOUR GREAT MERCY WIPE AWAY MY SINS! WASH AWAY ALL MY EVIL AND MAKE ME CLEAN FROM MY SIN!
I RECOGNIZE MY FAULTS; I AM ALWAYS CONSCIOUS OF MY SINS. I HAVE SINNED AGAINST YOU—ONLY AGAINST YOU—AND DONE WHAT YOU CONSIDER EVIL…. REMOVE MY SIN, AND I WILL BE CLEAN; WASH ME, AND I WILL BE WHITER THAN SNOW.”REPENTANCE IS A DAILY ACTION OF OUR LIVES TO LIVE RECONCILED TO GOD!
THE SECOND TASK OF OUR MISSION IS TO ACCEPT AND TELL OTHERS ABOUT THE REMISSION OF SINS. WHAT EXACTLY IS THAT? I CAN TELL YOU IT IS LIBERATING AND A WORD FILLED WITH HOPE THAT WE CAN START OVER AND START ON A “CLEAN SLATE” FROM ANY SIN WE COMMIT. WE MAY NOT BE FREE OF CONSEQUENCES OF OUR ACTIONS, BUT TO BE FREE FROM SIN IS SPIRITUAL FREEDOM.
THE GREEK WORD FOR “REMISSION” MEANS “TO BE RELEASED FROM BONDAGE OR IMPRISONMENT.” WHEN WE ARE FORGIVEN, WE ARE RELEASED FROM THAT SIN. WE ARE PARDONED FROM NOT ONLY THE SIN, BUT THE PENALITY OF THAT MAY COME WITH THAT SIN.
THE BEAUTY OF THIS WORD, FOR ME, IS ITS IMPLICATION. THE WORD LITERALLY MEANS “TO BE RELEASED…LET GO…AS IF THE SIN WAS NEVER COMMITTED IN THE FIRST PLACE.” THE SIN IS FORGIVEN AND WILL NEVER BE BROUGHT UP AGAIN OR USED AGAINST YOU.
TEACHING THE REMISSION OF SINS GIVES EVERYONE THE ASSURANCE OF HEARING THE PROMISE OF PSALM 85:2, “YOU HAVE FORGIVEN YOUR PEOPLE'S SINS AND PARDONED ALL THEIR WRONGS.” THROUGH FORGIVENESS, WE ARE RELEASED FROM OUR SINS!
THE HOPE OF OUR MESSAGE TODAY IS THAT, AS CHRISTIANS, WE MUST FOLLOW THE INSTRUCTIONS OF JESUS AND PREACH REPENTACE AND REMISSION OF SINS. PEOPLE TODAY NEED HOPE THAT THEY CAN BE FORGIVEN FOR WHAT THEY HAVE DONE.
THERE ARE TOO MANY PEOPLE SUFFERING NEEDLESSLY TODAY BECAUSE THEY ARE CONVINCED THAT “GOD WILL NOT TAKE THEM BACK” FOR TURNING AWAY, WASTING THEIR LIFE, WASTING THEIR TALENTS, AND LIVING DISOBEDIENTLY APART FROM GOD.
PEOPLE NEED TO HEAR THIS MESSAGE FROM YOU! THEY NEED TO BE REASSURED WITH THE HOPE THAT THEY CAN BE SAVED, AND THAT THEY CAN REBOUND FROM ANY MISTAKE AND RECOVER FROM ANYTHING AND EVERYTHING THEY HAVE EVER DONE.
EVERYONE HAS THE HOPE OF FINDING SALVATION AND HAVING ALL THEIR SINS COMPLETELY FORGIVEN. THIS GOOD NEW CAME FROM THE VERY BEGINNING WHEN THE ANGEL ANNOUNCED IN LUKE 2:10, “DO NOT BE AFRAID, FOR BEHOLD, I BRING YOU GOOD TIDINGS OF GREAT JOY WHICH WILL BE TO ALL PEOPLE.”
WE CANNOT OVER-EMPHASIZE THE IMPORTANCE OF TELLING OTHERS THE GOOD NEWS OF SALVATION THAT GOD OFFERS TO THEM THROUGH JESUS CHRIST. WE CANNOT UNDERESTIMATE HOW THE POWER OF GOD CAN WORK THROUGH US IN ORDER TO CHANGE THE LIFE OF AN INDIVIDUAL IN NEED OF SALVATION.
WE ARE COMMISSIONED TO REPRESENT JESUS IN THIS WORLD AND TO SPREAD HIS MESSAGE OF “GOOD NEWS”, AS IT SAYS IN ACTS 1:8, “YOU WILL BE MY WITNESSES IN JERUSALEM, AND IN ALL JEDUEA, AND SAMARIA, AND TO THE ENDS OF THE EARTH.”
THE GOOD NEWS IS OPEN TO THE WHOLE WORLD AND IS FOR ALL PEOPLE IN EVERY AGE. SALVATION IS INCLUSIVE NOT EXCLUSIVE BECAUSE “ALL” PEOPLE MEANS ALL PEOPLE. IT IS ALSO A MESSAGE THAT IS NOT TO BE HOARDED, BUT HERALDED. SO, WE SHOULD NEVER KEEP SOMETHING SO WONDERFUL, AMAZING, AND FREE TO OURSELVES. WE SHOULD ALWAYS SENSE THE URGENCY TO PROCLAIM SUCH A MESSAGE WITH PASSION, LOVE, AND ZEAL!
1 PETER 3:15, “ALWAYS BE PREPARED TO GIVE AN ANSWER TO EVERYONE WHO ASKS YOU TO GIVE THE REASON FOR THE HOPE THAT YOU HAVE. BUT DO THIS WITH GENTLENESS AND RESPECT….”
LET US ALL GO FORTH WITH “OUR MISSION FROM THE ASCENSION” KNOWING THAT IT IS NOW “OUR TURN” TO GO INTO “OUR JERUSALEM” TO PROCLAIM THE TEACHINGS OF JESUS THAT SALVATION IS AVAILABLE TO EVERYONE AND THAT THERE IS FORGIVENESS AND THE REMISSION OF SINS. AMEN!
