Good morning again, my name is Jeff,
and I'm one of the pastors here at Advent,
and as Tommy said, this morning is Ascension Sunday,
and that is what we are gonna be focusing
our attention on this morning, the ascension of Jesus.
And it's this doctrine of the ascension
is this thing that we often overlook.
We often think about the life, the death,
the resurrection of Christ, but we often fail
to think about the significance of the ascension
in relation to all the other aspects
of Christ's redemptive work.
And so we're gonna be looking at two questions this morning
related to the ascension.
We're gonna be looking at what happened in the ascension,
and then why is that good news?
What happened in the ascension,
and then why is that good news for us?
So first of all, let's look at what exactly happened
in the ascension.
When you read the accounts of Jesus' ascension
in Scripture, which come from the two passages
that we just read, it's honestly a little underwhelming.
There are just two verses that talk about what happened
in Luke 24 and Acts chapter one, which we just read.
Forty days after the resurrection,
Jesus gathered one final time with his disciples
at the Mount of Olives.
Luke 24, 51 says this,
that while he blessed them, he parted from them
and was carried into heaven.
And then Acts 1, 9 says,
and when he had said these things,
as they were looking on, he was lifted up,
and a cloud took him from their sight.
That's it.
Two verses, not many details,
not much fanfare, not much explanation.
And so we have to look beyond the accounts
of the ascension to other parts of Scripture
to understand the ascension's full significance.
For example, in Acts chapter two,
the apostle Peter is preaching the gospel
in Jerusalem on Pentecost.
And in Peter's presentation of the gospel,
he talks about the death and the resurrection of Christ,
but he goes right into the ascension
and talks about how Jesus has been exalted
to the right hand of the Father.
Paul, in his letters,
comments on the ascension more fully.
For example, in places like Ephesians chapter two,
Paul goes into the ascension in more depth.
In Ephesians two, Paul says,
God raised him from the dead
and seated him at his right hand in the heavenly places,
far above all rule and authority and power and dominion
and above every name that is named,
not only in this age, but also in the one to come.
And he put all things under his feet
and gave him his head over all things.
Now there are lots of other places in the New Testament
that talk about the ascension,
but those are just two examples.
And so what does this tell us about Christ's ascension?
These explanations of what happened,
what do these tell us about what happened?
They tell us pretty clearly and straightforwardly
that Christ's ascension is his coronation as king.
It's his coronation as king.
Some of you may have seen several weeks ago
the coronation of King Charles in England.
There was this large ceremony in London
filled with lots of pomp and circumstance,
sort of a once in a generation event.
There were several hours of media coverage
from TV stations and media stations
and journalists all around the world covering this thing.
I saw the account on ABC News
and Michael Strahan was covering it.
And he was a formal NFL player.
And I just, I felt some cognitive dissonance
with an NFL player covering the coronation of King Charles.
I don't know.
But King Charles in the morning
traveled in a processional in a horse-drawn carriage
from Buckingham Palace all the way to Westminster Abbey
where the coronation took place.
And the climax of the service
is when the Archbishop of Canterbury,
of course, anoints him with oil,
places a crown on his head,
puts a sword and a scepter in his hands
and he is crowned as king.
And then following the service,
King Charles and his wife Camilla
paraded out back into the streets
where they were greeted with thousands of people
celebrating and rejoicing.
Now, maybe you got up at 5 a.m. to watch this
or maybe you totally forgot it happened
and you could totally care less.
But regardless of where you fall on that spectrum,
what this shows us is that this coronation ceremony
is a tiny picture of what happened
in the ascension of Christ.
And just to be clear,
it wasn't that Jesus was not a king before
and then became king.
But rather, it was the vindication
and the authentication of his kingship.
After his incarnation, after his life,
after his suffering, after his death,
it was the vindication that Christ really is
the king that he claimed to be.
He really is who he claimed to be all along.
And so in this way,
the ascension is the coronation.
It's the capstone of all that Jesus accomplished
through his redemptive work on earth,
not only as a king,
but as a prophet and a priest as well.
If Jesus' incarnation,
if his life, his death, his resurrection,
if all those things were the check,
then the ascension is the proof
that that check has cleared,
that there are sufficient funds in the account,
that redemption has been paid for and accepted.
So, for example,
if we think about the death of Christ on the cross,
which is something that we can and should celebrate
as the center of our gospel,
Jesus' death on the cross actually would not be complete
without the ascension.
Because in the Old Testament,
a priest would make a sacrifice of an animal
on behalf for the sins of the people,
but sacrificing the animal alone
did not complete the process
in order for atonement to be made for sin.
A second step had to happen.
The priest had to enter the sanctuary,
had to enter the Holy of Holies behind the curtain,
and offer the sacrifice to God
in order for the sacrifice
to be effectual for the sins of the people.
And that points us to who Jesus is
and what he did in his ascension.
As our great high priest,
he offered his perfect and sufficient sacrifice
once for all
and all the fruits of his heavenly ministry
in the heavenly sanctuary
to God the Father on our behalf.
And God the Father received it
and accepted it so that there is no longer
any sacrifice needed for sin.
And you can draw out all the different aspects
of Jesus' redemptive work
and how the ascension is the capstone of that work.
And so this is why the gospel
and our view of salvation
is not complete without the ascension.
It's the coronation of King Jesus
and it marks the capstone,
the completion of his redemptive work on earth.
Now that actually raises a question for us
because if we're honest,
we living in modern America today
have a complicated relationship to human kings.
We might enjoy watching
the coronation of King Charles on TV.
We might enjoy hearing stories
about kings and queens and mythology.
But as Americans living
in a modern democratic republic,
most of us are probably pretty skeptical
of absolute monarchies.
And that's because we've seen
throughout human history
that if one person,
one human being gets absolute power,
that power can often be abused
to harm others.
And so the founders of our country
in wisdom organized
our entire structure of government
with checks and balances
to make sure that no one person
had all the authority,
had all the power.
And so as modern democratic people
who are generally skeptical
of absolute monarchies,
we have to ask this question.
If the ascension of Christ
is the coronation of Christ the King,
then why is that good news?
Why is that good news for us?
And why is that good news for the world?
And so that's the second half
of what I wanna look at today
about the ascension.
Why is the ascension good news for us today?
And I wanna look at three aspects of this.
Three aspects of why the ascension is good news.
Here's the first.
The first is that as the ascended savior,
Jesus raises our humanity to heaven.
As the ascended savior,
Jesus raises our humanity to heaven.
The passage that we read earlier
in Ephesians chapter two
talks about Jesus being seated
in the heavenly places.
I don't know if you've ever thought about
this language of being seated
as you've read the New Testament,
but it is the language of kingship.
In the ancient world,
a king would leave his throne
to go off and fight a battle
against his enemies.
In his throne,
his seat would be empty
as he went off to fight the war.
And if he was successful,
if he was victorious in battle,
he would come home to his people
and he would sit back down on his throne
as a sign that the victory was won.
And not only could he rest
from the work of battle,
not only could he rest secure
from his enemies,
but his people could rest secure
from their enemies as well.
And this is part of what it means
for Jesus to be seated.
His work of conquering his enemies
of sin and death and Satan
is over,
it's finished,
it's done.
And the incredibly good news
of the gospel
is not only that Christ is seated,
but also that he shares his victory
with us by seating us with him
in his ascension
and glory with the Father in heaven.
This is what Ephesians chapter two says
when it says that,
and God raised us up with Christ
and seated us with him
in the heavenly realms,
in Christ Jesus,
in order that in the coming ages
he might show the incomparable riches
of his grace.
Colossians three,
one puts it this way,
since then you have been raised with Christ,
set your hearts on things above
where Christ is,
seated at the right hand of God.
The reality of being seated with Jesus
is not something that we often think about
and yet it is central
to our understanding
of how we think about our salvation
and our union with Christ.
And so I just want us to think about this
and meditate on this together for a moment.
That right now in heaven,
there is a human being,
fully God, fully man,
but a human being
with a physical human body
who is in perfect, loving communion
and fellowship with God the Father.
And somehow, mystically, spiritually,
in a way that we don't fully understand,
we are united to him,
those who have faith in him
are united to him
by the Holy Spirit
so that we have,
we share in his status
and we share in the communion
with the Father that he has.
Now, if thinking about that
makes your head hurt,
that's okay.
Because it makes my head hurt too.
I don't fully understand how that works.
But I believe that it's true
because scripture bears witness to it.
But even though it may be,
even though it may make our head hurts,
may make our heads hurt to think about that,
it is also intensely practical.
The implications of thinking about
that a human being
with a physical human body
is ascended in glory in heaven
has vast implications.
Let me talk about one.
And it's this.
There is no greater affirmation
of human dignity
and the sacredness of the human body
than the ascension of Christ's physical body
in heaven.
We believe in the dignity
and the worth
and the value of every person
not just because it seems to be common sense
or because it seems to be intuitive or obvious
and not even because our government
or our society
has agreed on it together.
But because in the ascension of Christ,
the human and the divine
are inextricably
and inseparably
and eternally
bound up together
in love.
And so to be ascension people,
to be people who are marked by the ascension,
means that we should be the first
to uphold the dignity
and the value and the worth
of every human being
in every sphere of life
and
to be the first to protest
wherever it is dishonored
and wherever it is denigrated.
Some people might criticize Christianity
for having
too low of a view of humanity
because our doctrine of original sin.
That the idea of original sin
is too negative,
it's morally regressive,
it's unhelpful.
That a more enlightened view
is to see that people are basically good deep down
or at least they're morally neutral.
But the ascension shows us
that nothing
exalts
and affirms
and honors
and protects
the dignity
of being human
and the sacredness
of the body
like Jesus.
He has
exalted our humanity
to the right hand of the Father
and it's not just that
He's up there
and we're down here
but that those who trust in Him
by faith
are actually
seated with Him
in the heavenly places.
And this has profound implications
for how we think about our salvation
and for how we live
our lives.
So that's the first thing.
That as the ascended Savior,
Jesus raises our humanity
to heaven.
The second thing is this.
That as the exalted Lord,
Jesus empowers His people
for a global mission.
He empowers His people
for a global mission.
This is what Jesus says
in Acts chapter 1 verse 8.
He directly ties His ascension
to the mission
that He gives His disciples.
He says,
but you will receive power
when the Holy Spirit
has come on you
and you will be
my witnesses
in Jerusalem
and all Judea
and Samaria
and to the end of the earth.
Before Jesus
ascends into heaven,
He commissions His disciples
and He promises
to send the Holy Spirit
in order to empower them
for a global mission
of taking the gospel,
the good news of His reign
to every language
and culture
and people
and nation.
and then
He leaves.
Now,
why on earth
would He do it?
Why would He give
such a mission
to His disciples
and then leave?
I mean,
have you ever
thought about this?
I mean,
think about this
just for a second
that He gives them
this insanely huge mission
that is strategically challenging,
radically counter-cultural.
it will inevitably involve
sacrifice and risk.
It may even
involve costing them
their lives
and then He just
peaces out.
See you later.
It's like if parents
were to tell their kids
this afternoon,
all right kids,
you know,
we're going on vacation
for a week
but you know,
we are actually going
to leave you here
at the house.
And oh,
by the way,
as we leave on vacation
and as you stay here
at the house,
we would really love
the kitchen
and the bathroom
to be remodeled
by the time we're done
and we'd really love
the landscaping
and all of the carpet
to be replaced.
We'd love for all the paint
to be redone
and all the walls
of the house
and if you could just
throw in some new
hardwood floors,
that'd be great.
All right,
see you later.
We'll be back in a week.
If you're a kid,
you'd be like,
what on earth is happening?
First of all,
why aren't we going
on vacation with you?
You're abandoning us
and secondly,
how do you expect
all of us
to do this
without you?
How do you expect us
to fulfill this commission
that you've given us
without you here?
It's crazy.
I don't know
if you've thought about this
but don't you think
that the mission
of the church
would be more successful
if Christ was physically
here on earth?
I don't know about you
but I would kind of like
Jesus to be physically
with me
as I go about
my daily life.
I mean,
that would be super helpful
to have him physically
right beside me
as I try to live my life
but because,
this is what it helps us
to see,
that because Jesus
is ascended
and exalted
as the Lord
over all things,
it makes it crystal clear
to us
that even though
he has a physical
human body
that the power
and the efficacy
of his ministry
is not confined
to one geographic
physical place.
If Jesus was physically
here on earth
then we would want to be
wherever he was
and we would be tempted
to believe
that wherever Jesus was
that's where the real ministry
was happening.
That's where the real
spiritual power was.
You had to go to Jesus
where he was physically.
But the ascension
helps us to see
that Jesus empowers
his people
for his mission
wherever they are.
You know,
if Jesus
this morning
was in Cincinnati
or in Istanbul
or in Nairobi
we would tell people
who want to learn
and know about Jesus
to go and be
where he is.
But Jesus
is not in Cincinnati
or Istanbul
or Nairobi.
He has ascended
to the Father's right hand
in glory.
which means
that you and I
don't get to opt out
of our role
in his mission.
To be ascension people
is to remember
that he has empowered us
by his spirit
to be his presence
among our neighbors,
among our coworkers,
among our friends,
and among our family.
And so all of a sudden
everything
that you and I
are doing tomorrow morning
at 9 a.m.
just got
a thousand times
more significant.
Because the Holy Spirit
in us
is better
than Jesus
beside us.
The Holy Spirit
in us
is better
than Jesus
beside us.
And Jesus tells himself,
he tells the disciples
that this is true
in John 16.
He says,
it is to your advantage
that I go away.
For if I do not go away
the helper
will not come to you.
But if I go
I will send him
to you.
And the fact
that the Holy Spirit
in us
is better
than Jesus
beside us
focuses on our mission
and it focuses us
on the global scale
of the mission
he has entrusted to us.
He says,
you will be my witnesses
in Jerusalem
and Judea
and Samaria
and to the ends
of the earth.
And this shows us
not only the geographic
but the cultural scope,
the cross-cultural scope
of God's mission.
The good news
of Jesus' victory
over sin and death
is good news
for every nation
and people
and language
and culture.
It is because Christ
ascended to the throne
in heaven
that we can send
missionaries
to places like Thailand
and the Middle East
and Central Asia
and all over the world
because the power
of the Holy Spirit
is not confined
to one physical place
because Christ
is ascended.
And wherever Jesus
the power of the Holy Spirit
is wherever Jesus
dwells through his people.
So we see that
the good news
of the ascension
is that Jesus
raises our humanity
to heaven.
We also see that
he empowers his people
for a global mission.
And thirdly,
finally,
we see that the good news
of the ascension
is that as the returning king
he promises
to bring true justice
and renewal
to the world.
As the returning king
Jesus promises
to bring true justice
and renewal
to the world.
Acts chapter 1,
verse 10 says,
And while they were
gazing into heaven
as he went,
behold,
two men stood by them
in white robes
and said,
Men 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
going into heaven.
The ascension
not only marks
the completion
of Christ's
redemptive work
on earth,
it also anticipates
his return.
And the return
of Christ
as king and judge
assures us
that final justice
belongs to him
and that he will make
all things new.
As we say
every week in the creed
that he will come again
to judge the living
and the dead.
And this is
incredibly good news
for the world
and it is incredibly
good news
for people who live
and work
in Washington, D.C.
Part of what I love
about living
in the city
is that so many
people come here
to live and work
because they want
to make a difference
in the world.
This is a good
and beautiful thing
about so many of you
and about so many
of our neighbors.
But how many
of you
and how many
of our neighbors
have ever gotten
jaded
in the frustratingly
difficult
sometimes painful
slow process
of making a difference
in the world?
Maybe you come
to work in government
and you over the years
get frustrated
with the bureaucracy.
Maybe you come
to work for a non-profit
and you get frustrated
with the inefficiencies
and the lack of funding
and the lack of vision.
Maybe you come
to work in the school system
and you realize
how complicated it is
to teach a kid
math and science
and history
when they don't have
a stable family
or safe housing
or a good food to eat.
There's a famous quote
by Martin Luther King Jr.
And King says
that the arc
of the moral universe
is long
but it bends
towards justice.
The arc of the moral universe
is long
but it bends
towards justice.
And I think
this is a line
that we love to quote
but it's not always
easy to believe.
Some days
it can feel like
the arc of the moral universe
bends towards
injustice
and disorder
and frustration
and decay.
Maybe you've felt
like that
this week
or perhaps
the past several months.
And whether you're
a Christian or not
whether you believe
in God or not
whether you are
religious or not
this is an experience
that is common
to all of us.
And so what do you do?
What do you do
on days and weeks
where it feels like
that the arc
of the moral universe
bends not towards
justice
but away from it?
The beauty
of being a Christian
on days like that
is the ascension.
Is the ascension.
The more frustrated
we get
as we try to make
a difference
in the world
the more that we need
to meditate
and contemplate
and remember
the ascension
with Paul
in Colossians 3.
If then
you have been
raised with Christ
seek the things
that are above
not on things
that are on earth
for you have died
and your life
is now hidden
with Christ in God.
When Christ
who is your life
appears
then you will also
appear with him
in glory.
To set our minds
on the ascension
of Christ
is not to
neglect
or forget
or ignore
earthly realities
but rather
it's to remind
ourselves
of the hope
that we have
in the ascension
and the assurance
that we have
that the arc
of the moral universe
although it is long
it does
in fact
bend towards
justice
and it bends
toward justice
because Christ
is a king
whose coronation
has already
taken place
and as this
victorious king
Jesus reigns
and rules
over all things
and one day
he will return
to make all things
new.
True justice
is in his hands
and rather
making us passive
this actually
leads us
to actively
pursue
the missions
and the callings
that God
has placed
in our lives.
After Jesus
ascends into heaven
the two angels
essentially say
to Jesus' disciples
they essentially
say to him
what are you still
doing standing here?
Why are you still
looking up
into the clouds?
You have the assurance
of Jesus' return
so get after
the work
and the mission
and the calling
that he has given you
to do
in the meantime.
As ascension people
who are
seated with Christ
and raised with him
we don't just
have the longing
the desire
the hope
that the arc
of the universe
is long
but that it bends
towards justice
but we have
the assurance
that it in fact
will
because Christ
is king
and because he
will return
and make all things
new
and because of
the ascension
true justice
is rooted
in a story
of hope
and so to bring
all this together
as we think
about the ascension
as we think
about what happened
the ascension
is this great
coronation
of King Jesus
it's this
cornerstone
this capstone
actually
of Christ's
redemptive work
on earth
and that's good
news for us
because
we think about
how he has
raised our humanity
to heaven
and how that
affirms and dignifies
not only our humanity
but all of the humanity
of our neighbors
he has empowered
his people
by his spirit
for a global mission
his Holy Spirit
in us
is better than him
physically
right beside us
and finally
he will return
to bring justice
and make all things
new
you know
several weeks ago
millions of people
spent
hours
and perhaps days
watching King Charles'
coronation
celebrating it
rejoicing in it
and this is a man
who
just being honest
has mostly
symbolic authority
but the ascension
of Jesus
is a coronation
that is worth
spending
our entire lives
celebrating
and reflecting on
and contemplating
and declaring
to the whole world
let's pray together
our Father
in heaven
we pray
that you would
lift our hearts
and lift our minds
to the ascended
and seated Christ
and we pray
that through the power
of your Holy Spirit
that we would be able
to worship you
and to be faithful
to the mission
and the callings
you've placed
in our lives
by the power
of your Holy Spirit
Amen