Okay, this section. I want us to look at it for two weeks, mainly because I think it's one of the most neglected areas of the truth of the gospel.
If I'm going to explain the gospel, we might talk about the incarnation, although I suspect lots of us wouldn't.
We'd simply talk about the life of Christ, the miracles of Christ. We would talk about the cross.
I suspect we don't talk about the burial of Christ, I don't want to explain the gospel very much.
We do talk about the resurrection.
And maybe we talk about his coming again, although I think we're a little bit nervous about that.
But I think it's very rare in our explanation of the gospel that we talk about the ascension.
The truth of the Lord Jesus Christ ascending into heaven.
And what I've learned as I've kind of studied this in the last few weeks is when we neglect the truth of Christ's ascension,
we're neglecting something of enormous significance, I'd really help you and I.
It's a distortion of the gospel which makes us play down the truth of the ascension.
We would, of course wouldn't we, we would recognise it's completely wrong to divorce the birth and life of our Lord Jesus from his death.
We wouldn't do that.
Many people of Christ do that and they produce Jesus who's a good example to us of love and good works but nothing more.
Neither would we be content with divorcing the death of Jesus from his resurrection.
We can't do that because the resurrection is the seal, it's the validation, it's the receipt of the price being paid by Christ and his death and his sufficient death.
But it's also a big mistake to divorce the birth, life and death and resurrection of Jesus from the ascension into glory.
And it's an odd thing that many biblical Christians have done that.
And by doing that we've lost the fullness of the Christian gospel.
It's significant I think that when Jesus tells Mary in John 20 verse 17 that she is to go to his brothers,
he does not say, go and tell them that I am risen.
He says, go and tell them that I ascend to my father and their father, to my God and their God.
When the Apostle Paul in that wonderful chapter in Romans 8 is reassuring us of what the Lord Jesus has done,
of what Christ has done for us, he includes in that sufficient work of Christ not only that he died,
and more than that was raised to life, but also that he is now at the right hand of God and he intercedes for us.
In other words, the Apostle binds together the death, the resurrection and the ascension of the Lord Jesus.
There's going to be three things over the next two weeks.
First of all, tonight I want us to look at the fact of the ascension,
and then the meaning of the ascension,
and then next week what I want to try and do is look at the implications of the ascension.
I want to say that the implications of the ascension are infinitely greater than we normally realise,
and in various ways where I think you have and I have great needs.
So first of all, the fact of the ascension.
And I need to point out to you that Luke is a careful historian, isn't he?
He wrote the book of Acts, as well as the third gospel,
and he presents the ascension of the Lord Jesus to us as an historical fact.
The same way that he presents the birth of Jesus as an historical fact.
The death of Jesus and the resurrection of Jesus.
They were events which were witnessed and are historical,
and he points out to us that there were those who before their very eyes,
Jesus was taken up.
He ascended.
Many people have problems with the whole idea of Jesus being taken up from earth into heaven.
Jesus defying the law of gravity, as sometimes can be suggested.
I personally have got no problems with the God who created the law of gravity
suspending it for this particular purpose.
Nor do I have any problems with the God of the supernatural,
who brought Jesus Christ from the dead to life.
Bringing him into heaven in the way that Luke describes here in Acts
is, again, evidence of the supernatural.
We can't prove it, can we?
I get very tired of talks on the resurrection,
which are all about the evidence for the resurrection.
How we have definitive proof of the resurrection.
I would argue that we do,
but we don't believe the resurrection on the basis of
the kind of proofs, so to speak.
Can you prove the incarnation?
You can't, can you?
We can't prove the ascension,
and yet it is historical.
I've got no problems with the God who created
the law of gravity,
suspending the law of gravity,
as he does here.
And we need to say, don't we,
that the problem is people have a problem with the supernatural.
And that problem pursues them
to whatever area of the gospel they're dealing with,
because the God who we deal with
is the God of the supernatural.
The ascension tells us that.
Same Greek word for heaven.
He was taken up into heaven.
It's used in the Bible for three things.
It's one of the most commonest words
in the whole of the New Testament.
It's the word for heaven,
or the heavens,
or the sky,
or the air.
It's always the same word that's used
in the New Testament.
And there doesn't seem to be an alternative.
It's used, firstly, for the air above us.
So Jesus is the singer on the mount.
He says to you,
he directs us,
consider the birds of the air.
That is, the birds who fly in the air above us.
It's the word for air.
It's exactly the same word
as for the heavens,
all for heaven.
It's used, secondly,
for the whole realm of space,
of sun and moon and stars.
And so in that sense,
the heavens beyond us.
That would include now thinking
what we would call,
wouldn't it,
outer space,
the whole galaxy.
But the third way
that the word is used
is for that sphere
where God reigns
and God acts.
Where God is.
That is the sphere
of his unlimited power
and sovereignty.
It's the very thing
that Jesus teaches
his disciples to pray.
We pray this tonight, isn't it?
Our Father in heaven.
This is precisely the word,
the adjective that's used.
Our heavenly Father.
So that God is not to be thought of
as earthly and bound
and therefore by earthly standards
and earthly possibilities
and earthly ideas.
He is the one who is in heaven.
And that does not refer primarily
to a location somewhere
in the universe,
but to the character of God
as the God whose kingdom
is the kingdom of heaven.
That simply means
that he is the God
of unlimited,
unbounded resources,
unlimited sovereignty
and unlimited power.
And that is the realm
of God's authority
and presence.
Sometimes,
the word is used
in the New Testament
actually is a kind of synonym
for God himself.
So do you remember
in the parable
of the prodigal son?
The son is sitting
in the far country
and he's planning
what he's going to say
to his dad, isn't he?
And he's practicing
this speech
as he goes back
to his dad
and when he arrives
into his dad's presence
he says,
I have sinned against heaven.
I don't know your sight.
So he's using the word heaven
as a synonym for God
and it's an important thing
for us to grasp.
It's one of the ways
in which the Bible
uses this term
and it's important
for us to recognize
that for mortal creatures
up
is definitively
the direction
in which we look
for the glory
in which God dwells.
We're not primarily
speaking about location
or a certain
part of the universe
but we are speaking
about a place
heaven is a place
that is far more real
than this world.
And the book of Revelation
the last book of the Bible
is full of the word
isn't it?
It helps us
in the measure
that we
fragile
mortal human beings
are able to understand
it.
To grasp what
heaven means
to which Jesus
now is God.
So we're not
locating God
in the sky
when we speak
of heaven
but we are
affirming that
heaven is
more real
a world
than this one
and that Jesus
has gone to it.
Now of course
Jesus could have
left this world
invisibly.
He could have
left the world
invisibly.
He came
invisibly.
Why didn't he
leave this world
invisibly?
Think about that.
Why didn't
Jesus
just
go like that
in the middle
of the night
when no one
saw?
That's how he
entered the room
with the Virgin Mary.
But there's
obvious reasons
now
why he would
go publicly
and visibly
before their
very eyes.
And Luke
tells us
in Acts
chapter 1
verse 9.
And when he
said these
things
as they
were looking
on
he was
lifted up
and a cloud
took him
out of their
sight.
And they
were gazing
into heaven
as he went.
The reason
Jesus went
visibly
was because
the disciples
would otherwise
have been waiting
for the next
resurrection
appearance
of Jesus.
And so
Jesus
again and
again
those 40
days after
his resurrection
he kind of
appears
and then
disappears.
But what
is happening
now is
Jesus is
showing them
visibly
these 40
days have
come to
an end.
And Jesus
was no longer
going to pursue
his purposes
through his
flesh on
this earth.
He was
going to
pursue in
heaven
his mighty
plan.
the
saviour
and the
friend of
sinners
goes into
heaven.
Their
friend
he ascends
on a cloud
and so
they're not
waiting for
the next
appearance of
Jesus
and they
wonder
where it
will be
and where
it will
be.
Because one
of the
reasons he
goes to
heaven is
that he
is everywhere
to be
known by
his
disciples.
So
Jesus
says to
you and
I just
means he
says to
the
disciples
I will
be with
you
always
everywhere.
And so
how can
he be
with them
always
everywhere
if his
presence
is like
the
resurrection
appearances?
Well it
can't be.
The answer
is he
can't.
But Jesus
is able to
be present
with every
Christian
through the
Holy Spirit
wherever in
the world
they are.
and his
words I
will be
with you
always
are
fulfilled
in the
ascension.
And that
is why
he is
God.
So you
get these
two
statements
in the
Gospels
and they
appear to
be in
tension
don't you?
And Jesus
says the
poor you
will always
have with
you
but me
you will
not always
have with
you.
That's what
he says.
why is
that?
He says
you will
not always
have me
with you
because
I'm
going to
ascend
to
heaven.
And yet
he says
I will
never
leave you
nor
forsake
you.
How?
For the
very simple
reason that
he will be
present with
his people
by the
Holy Spirit.
But the
really important
thing to
grasp is
that the
bodily
presence of
Jesus
that is
the
presence
of Jesus
in his
body
now
glorified
but still
in human
form
is in
heaven
and not
on earth.
On
earth
he is
present
spiritually
by the
Holy Spirit
but he is
not present
bodily.
There's a
worship song
isn't there?
Jesus
standing in
the midst
of us.
No he's
not.
And that
takes us
into the
first thing
that is
important in
connection with
the ascension
with the
meaning of
the
ascension.
Let me
just point
out to you
the importance
of the
fact that it
was Jesus
in our
flesh who
ascended into
heaven.
So the
Heidenberg
Cascism,
we'll talk a
little bit more
about this
next week,
from the
16th century
speaks of
the ascension
in this
way.
It says,
when the
question is
asked,
what is the
benefit of
the ascension
of Jesus
Christ from
earth to
heaven?
And the
answer is,
our flesh
is in
heaven.
Let's see.
Let me
explain that
to you.
What I
mean by it
is this,
that Jesus
Christ,
according to
His flesh,
when the
Word,
when God
became flesh
and dwelt
amongst us,
that He
has now
been taken
up to
heaven.
His human
nature has
entered into
glory.
And it is
the glorified
flesh of
Jesus,
which is
now right
there in
the presence
of God
and glory.
And that
means a
whole range
of things.
It means
that He
has gone
to prepare
a place
for us.
So,
there will be
time to the
Augustine
court to be
trotted out
in a few
weeks,
isn't it?
He,
without ceasing
to be what
He eternally
was,
He became
what He
eternally
was not
in the
incarnation.
God
became man.
He came
to share
our nature.
He entered
into our
life.
And we
have the
guarantee,
because He
is there,
that if we
are in
Christ,
if we are
united to
Him,
we shall
be there
too.
And so
Jesus
says,
I go
away,
and actually
it's much
better for
you that I
go away,
because I
go away to
prepare a
place for
you in
my Father's
house,
that is the
home of
glory.
Because you
see,
the glorified
body of
Jesus,
this evening,
is in
heaven.
He wears
our human
nature in
glory,
and that
makes an
enormous
difference to
two things.
difference.
It makes
an enormous
difference to
the way we
think of
the church
as the
body of
Christ.
And it
makes an
enormous
difference
when we
do like
we did
this morning,
when we
say,
this is my
body broken
for you at
the communion
table.
And unless
you understand
the ascension,
you'll go
wrong in
both these
areas.
the church
of Jesus
Christ,
as a
visible,
organised
community of
different
denominations,
is not
the body
of Christ.
The body
of Christ
is not the
physical
church.
So you
don't join
the body
of Christ
or become
a member
of it by
adding your
name to
the members
list.
You become
a member
of the body
of Christ
by saving
faith in
the Lord
Jesus,
whom you
are united
to spiritually,
not physically,
but spiritually.
And the
body of
Jesus Christ
is therefore
the company
of people,
the spiritual
body,
who are both
on earth
and in
heaven.
And that's
a very important
thing.
We will not
make the
visible church
of Jesus
Christ into
the body
of Christ
if we
understand the
resurrection
and ascension
of Jesus.
The second
thing is it
must make a
lot of
different
for
the
Lord's
Supper.
So when
people think
that they
break the
bread and
say this
is the
body of
Christ
broken for
you,
that they
are actually
physically
feeding on
the body
and blood
of Jesus
Christ.
They are
ignoring the
truth of
the
ascension.
Because the
ascension tells
you that
his flesh
is in
heaven and
not you.
It is in
heaven.
And our
communion with
him as our
saviour by the
breaking of his
body and the
shadow of his
blood is by
spiritual union
with him.
By faith,
not by
physical union.
That's very
important for us
to grasp.
Calvin insists
of this body
imagery in the
church and the
body imagery in
the Lord's
Supper.
They point to a
spiritual reality,
not a physical
one.
But the
general meaning
of the
ascension is
captured in
what the
creed says.
Remember that
earlier on in
the service?
What did
it say?
It said he
was crucified,
died and
was buried,
he descended
to the day,
on the third
day he rose
again, he
ascended into
heaven.
The creed
goes on to
tell us why.
He ascended
into heaven and
he's seated at
the right hand
of the
father.
Why did
Jesus ascend?
Jesus
ascended to
sit down.
So Jesus
is the
ascended
Lord.
is this
evening seated
in heaven.
And there
are multitudes
standing around
him and there
are multitudes
behind him
before him,
but he is
seated.
Why is he
seated?
Let's go to
Hebrews 10.
Hebrews chapter
10.
Hebrews chapter
10.
I've got a
page number
there.
Let's find it
yourself.
Hebrews 10.
Hebrews 10
verses 11 and
12.
Here we go.
Hebrews 10
verse 11 and
12.
Every priest
stands daily
at his service
offering
repeatedly the
same sacrifices
which can never
take away
sins.
But when
Christ
had offered
for all
time
a single
sacrifice
for sins
he sat
down at
the right
hand of
God.
Why does
he do
that?
Why does
he sit?
He ascends
to sit.
Why does
he sit?
For three
important
reasons.
The very
fact that
he sits
is of
enormous
significance
isn't it?
And
it's a
kind of
posture
of rest.
You sit
down after
you've
finished
your work.
After the
completion
of your
work that
someone has
set out
to do.
And
Christ is
seated in
heaven because
of his
finished
work of
atonement.
all his
work is
ended.
Joyfully
we sing
Jesus
has
ascended.
All his
work is
ended.
Joyfully
we sing
Jesus
has
ascended.
He's
ascended
because his
work is
finished.
There's
nothing more
for Jesus
to achieve.
The
atonement
process,
there's
nothing
left to
add to
it.
It
accomplished
without
atonement.
The price
has been
paid.
Jesus'
ascension
and his
sitting
down at
the right
hand of
God
proclaims
that this
is a
finished
work,
a completed
work.
There's
nothing that
I have to
add tonight.
There's
nothing you
have to
add.
There's
nothing that
you have
to achieve.
Nothing I
made you
to achieve.
I simply
humbly
come in
faith to
receive it.
There's
of course
huge
significance
there,
not just
in the
fact that
he sits,
but where
he sits.
Because he
sits on
a throne.
And there
on that
throne he
is worshipped
as the
king of
kings.
And the
lord of
lords.
And he
is in the
place of
absolute
authority and
sovereign
power.
But he
sits on
that throne
waiting.
Verse 13
when Christ
had offered
for all
time a
single
sacrifice
for sins
he sat
down at
the right
hand of
God
waiting
from that
time until
his enemies
should be
made a
footstool for
his feet.
Waiting.
The
angelic figures
do you
remember what
George read
to us in
Acts chapter
1.
They're with
him at
the ascension
and they
remind the
disciples
don't they?
They're
standing there
open mouth
and gorg
that Jesus
has just
ascended into
heaven.
And they
say this
man of
Galilee
why do you
stand looking
into heaven?
This Jesus
who was
taken up
from you
into heaven
will come
in the
same way
as you
saw him
go into
heaven.
One day
he'll
return.
And the
return of
Jesus
that is
the final
act of
what Jesus
came to
earth to
do.
And now
Jesus the
reigning
Lord the
sovereign
king of
kings this
evening is
waiting.
And what's
he waiting
for tonight?
He's waiting
for that day
which has not
yet come.
Because not
every knee
has bowed
to Jesus
Christ and
not every
tongue has
confessed him
as Lord.
And not
everyone has
acknowledged that
he is the
only saviour but
one day all
his people
will do.
And every
knee will
bow and
every tongue
will confess
that Jesus
Christ is
Lord to
the glory
of God
the Father.
And the
ascension is
the signal
to all
earth and
heaven that
Jesus the
enthroned
saviour is
waiting for
that day
and come
it well.
And it's
something that
no opinion
pole is
ever going
to alter.
It's the
ultimate
certainty.
There's
importance to
the fact that
he sits,
there's
importance to
the fact that
where he
sits and
last of
all there's
importance
about who
he sits
beside.
Because he's
seated at
the right
hand of
the majesty
on high.
Or the
way Hebrews
said he's
seated at
the right
hand of
God.
Where is
he sitting
tonight?
He's
sitting as
it were
at the
year of
the eternal
God.
He's there
beside him.
And he's
there not
only as
our king
but he's
there
supremely
as our
priest,
our
intercessor,
our
mediator.
And he
sits on
the throne
beside his
father.
And he's
there to
intercede
for us.
Do you
see now
why it's
so important?
that our
flesh is
in heaven
because he
wore our
nature.
He
entered
into every
anguish of
human experience.
He knew
what it was
to be
despised and
rejected of
men.
And that
same
Jesus wears
our nature
and glory
this evening.
you know
don't you
son of
you what
it is
to say
to someone
who's in
great pain
and hurt
to be able
to say
to them
I just
want you
to know
that I've
been there.
I've
been there.
And Jesus
says my
child I've
been there.
And I
know what
to ask
of the
father for
you.
And so
tonight we
thank God
that our
flesh is
in heaven
and we
need to
explore it
more.
May God
give us a
thirst to do
so.
Let's pray.