He Ascended into Heaven |
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Hail the Day that sees him rise Why Do We Need to Know This?We often insist that there can be no Crown without the Cross but the converse is also true - the Cross is incomplete without the Crown. The Cross is not the end because we have the Resurrection but the Resurrection is not the end because we have the knowledge that Jesus ascended to the heavenly places from whence he came to receive a Crown of Glory. Luke mentions it both in his gospel account and in the Acts of the Apostles. Not only that but it is assumed in many places in the letters of Paul and Peter and the letter to the Hebrews. Many of these passages only make sense if Christ ascended into heaven. Why Did He Ascend?Why not stay on earth?Jesus had promised "surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age." ( Matt. 28:20 ). If he had remained in Palestine for ever he could not have kept this promise for he had just commanded his disciples to go to all the world. In the limitations of his human flesh he could not be everywhere all the time. In his death and resurrection Jesus had completed his earthly ministry and it was time to hand over to his Church to do what they had been called to do, to achieve what they had been called to achieve. Moreover, Jesus had a new work ministry to undertake - a heavenly work . So we may see the ascension as the vital link between his ministry on earth and his heavenly ministry. Why not just go without a fuss?Actually there is very little fuss recorded in Luke or Acts. No trumpets or angelic choirs, they just saw him go. 'Just think what a spectacular ascent Christ could have effected and what a correspondingly electrifying impression He could have produced in the people of His time if He had leapt up to the skies from a pinnacle of the Temple in full view of the assembled populace of Jerusalem, or if He had gone back to Calvary, climbed up on to His empty Cross and, before the astonished gaze of thousands of spectators, mounted to heaven. He didn't. No. He went out, out from the bustling, busy capital to the comparative quiet of Olivet and, so far as we know, the only witnesses of His Ascension were the eleven disciples. "God raised Him up the third day," cried Peter, "and showed Him openly; not to all the people, but unto witnesses chosen before of God, even to us, who did eat and drink with Him after He rose from the dead" ( Acts10:40,41 ).' (Macpherson - The Faith Once Delivered) The disciples needed to know that he had not deserted them but had commissioned them to continue his work. It was necessary that there should be a decisive parting and that there should be witnesses to it. It prevented the disciples from wasting time looking for him "dead or alive". The Church needed to know that he had not just slipped off to minister elsewhere. What Does His Ascension Mean to Him?It Completes His Resurrection
The earthly ministry of Jesus culminated in his
death on the cross
and his glorious
resurrection
.
But we must remember that Christ had known an existence before his incarnation.
(6) Who, being in very nature God, did not consider equality with God something to be grasped, (7) but made himself nothing, taking the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness. (8) And being found in appearance as a man, he humbled himself and became obedient to death - even death on a cross! Although the resurrection marked the completion of his earthly ministry, the story cannot end there, for he who had come from realms of glory must return whence he came. He who left his Father's side to achieve so great a salvation for sinful mankind must return to the God and Father who had sent him. (9) Therefore God exalted him to the highest place and gave him the name that is above every name, (10) that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, (11) and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father. His Human Nature is GlorifiedWhen the Word became flesh and dwelt among us ( John 1:14 ) he laid aside his glory, he made himself nothing and became man. When he returned to heaven in his ascension he not only took with him his divine nature but also his human nature. Jesus returned to the Father not simply as God but also as Man. John F. Walvoord puts it like this: "In that Christ entered heaven bodily as the first resurrected Man to enter heaven, he is the Forerunner of all believers who will follow. It was more than simply a return to preincarnate glory of deity, but also constituted a glorification of humanity." ( Walvoord - Jesus Christ Our Lord ) Now that Jesus has completed his work on earth the glory of heaven is enhanced for Jesus took with him into that place his victory over sin and death. He is Seated in Heavenly RealmsEph. 1:19 - 23 refers to God's power in these terms: (19) That power is like the working of his mighty strength, (20) which he exerted in Christ when he raised him from the dead and seated him at his right hand in the heavenly realms, (21) 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. (22) And God placed all things under his feet and appointed him to be head over everything for the church, (23) which is his body, the fullness of him who fills everything in every way. Thus it was important for Jesus to ascend into heaven in order that he might take his rightful place as head over everything. Jesus very clearly is pictured here in a place of authority as Lord of Everything. No power in heaven or on earth is greater than his power which he has in the Father. He Reigns over the Kingdom of GodThus, seated at the right hand of the Father, he reigns as King of Kings and Lord of Lords. We do not yet, on earth, see the fulness of his reign for there is still much for the Church to do and much for Christ to do through the Church.We still find the defeated warrior clinging on to the prize which he has already lost. We still "struggle against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms." ( Eph. 6:12 ) Nevertheless, as Macpherson puts it: 'But the mighty ascending Lord was more than a match for all his adversaries. "Having spoiled principalities and powers he made a show of them openly, triumphing over them" ( Colossians 2:15 ). And then there arose a great cry: "Lift up your heads, O ye gates; and be ye lift up, ye everlasting doors, and the King of Glory shall come in" ( Psalms 24:7-9 ).' What Does His Ascension Mean to Us?He is Accessible to AllThe point has already been made, above, that if Jesus had remained on earth he would not have been able to be with all his people everywhere at the same time. Though we do not see him, Jesus is now present with all believers. His promise to be with us is made possible by the fact that, while he is bodily in heaven, in his deity he can be omnipresent. Thus we do not pray to a God who is beyond our reach but we may speak to God as present in the person of his Son. "He withdrew from the world bodily in order to be more accessible to us spiritually" We Have the Holy SpiritBecause Jesus left he was able to send to them the Holy Spirit . He had promised that he would not leave the church as orphans but would send the Comforter to them. The Greek word which is translated as Comforter actually means "one who comes alongside". He is not just a Comforter who speaks soft words but a strengthener and an advocate on our behalf. With the Holy Spirit comes the power of God for our lives. "But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth." ( Acts 1:8 ) We should notice, in these times when people speak so glibly of the Power of the Spirit, that the power he gives is not for personal satisfaction. The power of the Spirit is clearly associated with witness. All the gifts of the Spirit are designed to further the Kingdom of God and to make it possible for people to be witnesses to the ends of the earth. We Walk by Faith and Not By SightIt is not difficult, we might think, to believe in someone we can see. We are called to believe in a Christ who cannot be seen with the eye of flesh but only with the eye of faith. Jesus told Thomas, "Because you have seen me, you have believed; blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed." ( John 20:29 ) Surprisingly it would seem that, even for those who could see, belief did not come easily. Yet we are called to walk by faith rather than by sight. Jesus makes his presence known by senses beyond sight. We Are Seated with Him in Heavenly Realms"And God raised us up with Christ and seated us with him in the heavenly realms in Christ Jesus".
It is exciting enough to discover in Ephesians Ch
1 that God has raised Jesus up to heavenly realms but to discover in chapter
2 that we also
have been
(past continuous tense!) raised up to be
seated with Jesus in heavenly realms is incredibly exciting. Once this
is accepted by faith and we begin to live in the truth of it there is no
telling what we can achieve in Christ. For me this is one of the most exciting
passages of all Scripture.
We Have a High Priest who Intercedes for UsThe whole letter to the Hebrews brings this truth home time and again. Not only do we have a High Priest interceding for us but he is a High Priest who knows all our weaknesses and who has experienced everything we can experience except sin . Even in that, he was so tempted that he is aware of what we go through that leads to sin. Moreover he has been a sin-offering for us in a final and once-for-all sacrifice of himself as the spotless Lamb of God. Whatever Satan may accuse us of before the Great Judge, we have an Advocate who pleads for us, that the price is already paid. He Is Preparing a Place For UsThe disciples were distressed when Jesus told them that he would be going from them. His reaction to their distress is recorded in John Ch 14. (1) "Do not let your hearts be troubled. Trust in God ; trust also in me. (2) 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. (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." We find, then, that this exciting event, the link between Christ's earthly and heavenly ministries, means so much more than it would at first appear. Moreover, in this article I have only skimmed the surface. There is much more to be found in the Word. (All full biblical quotations in this article are taken from the New International Version and have been inserted into the text using "QuickVerse for Windows" from Parsons Technology .)
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