Many
people are asking themselves today, on Thursday, 17th May 2012 : “Ascension Day. What on earth is
that?” Christmas we know , Easter we
know – but Ascension day, what is that ?
The
simplest answer we can give to them is
that Ascension Day marks that day when our
dear Lord Jesus Christ, having
completed His work on earth, visibly ascended ( he was lifted up by a miraculous force) into Heaven to take up
His glory once more : “ And
now , Father , glorify me in your
presence with the glory that I had with
you before the world existed.” (John
17:5 ). He is now seated in heaven. This all happened
40 days after His resurrection from the dead.
Every
year I observe that
it is an amazing fact that
Ascension day still forms part of our
national calendar [1]. I say that this is quite remarkable , for after all our
country’s constitution claims
to be secular [2].
Technically we should not observe
religious holidays. But not only that! It is amazing to think that against the
background of so little actual interest
shown in this day by the general public (and sadly even by the church) it should
still occupy a place on the list of national holidays!
The fact that this day is publicly still recognized
among us singularly honours the Lord
Jesus , and therefore I say : “God
bless Namibia !” In remembrance
of this event then I wish to
read a few texts
from Scripture that speak about
this historical happening , and draw some applications from this .
SELECTED
TEXTS:
1.
Acts
1:6-11[6] So when they had come
together, they asked him, “Lord, will you at this time restore the kingdom to
Israel?” [7] He said to them, “It is not for you to know times or seasons
that the Father has fixed by his own authority. [8] But you will receive
power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you will be my witnesses in
Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth.”
[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. [10] And while they
were gazing into heaven as he went, behold, two men stood by them in white
robes, [11] 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 go into heaven.”
This text from the book of
Acts describes the
actual happening . Jesus had appeared to many of His disciples during the
40 days following His resurrection. On the 40th day, He appeared again to the apostles
and led them out to the Mount of Olives where He instructed them to wait for
the promise of the Holy Spirit in Jerusalem. Then the 11 disciples
saw Him ascending into
the clouds, disappearing from their sight . As they continued to watch,
two angels appeared and assured them
that just as He ascended in visible form
, He would also return in visible glory. ( see also Revelation 1:7)
2.
John
14:1-3[14:1] “Let not your
hearts be troubled. Believe in God; believe also in me. [2] In my Father's
house are many rooms. If it were not so, would I have told you that I go to
prepare a place for you? [3] And if I go and prepare a place for you, I
will come again and will take you to myself, that where I am you may be also. This
text from John’s gospel
tells us what He is doing in heaven
for us. He’s preparing a place for His people. Heaven
is waiting for those who love Him now
and believe in Him now ( 1 Peter
1:8,9)
3.
In
Romans 8:34 we read of another work
of the Lord Jesus for us . He is at the right hand of God… interceding for us
. The ascended Lord Jesus prays for His
people even now !
4.
1
Peter 3:21-22[21] Baptism,
which corresponds to this, now saves you, not as a removal of dirt from the
body but as an appeal to God for a good conscience, through the resurrection of
Jesus Christ, [22] who has gone into heaven and is at the right hand of
God, with angels, authorities, and powers having been subjected to him. This text from
Peter’s epistle
tells us something about the amazing authority of
our ascended Christ . He occupies
a realm of power that would dazzle us!
5.
History : Has the church in history observed such a day in her calendar ? Yes! According to Augustine the bishop of
Hippo in North Africa (354- 430 AD)
, the Feast of Ascension
originated with the apostles. John
Chrysostom and Gregory of Nyssa,
contemporaries of Augustine, refer to this as one of the oldest feasts of the Church,
possibly going as far back as AD 68. The older
denominations of the modern church have generally kept this day as a holy day. Namibia’s largely Lutheran influence
has, I believe , secured this day
for us in our national calendar .
So why should we continue to remember
this day ? 8 reasons
1. We remember
that Jesus is our man in heaven
! He ascended to heaven as a man , and He is seated at the right hand of the Father
as a man while also at the same time
being ‘true God of true God’ ( Nicene
Creed)! As a man He is able to relate to
us, and therefore the writer to the Hebrews calls Him our sympathetic High priest ( Hebr 4: 14 -5:10). Thank God that we are so well represented before God the Father by our
Advocate – Jesus Christ the righteous , who is the propitiation for our sins ( 1 Jn 2:1)
2.We remember that the
ascension is also the promise of
His descension. This
Jesus, who was taken up from you into heaven, will come in the same way as you
saw him go into heaven. So, we not only remember today that Jesus
ascended to heaven . We also remember today that He will return as the coming Judge.
3.We
remember that according to our text
in John 14:1-3 our future lies
where He is now, as our ascended
King . This helps us to maintain perspective on our life , which does not consist only of these feeble 70 or 80 years here on earth , but it focusses our perspective on eternity
! Our home is with Him!
4.
We remember this day that Jesus
is our ascended King with great authority. (He) … has gone into heaven and
is at the right hand of God, with angels, authorities, and powers having been
subjected to him. ( 1 Pet
3:22) He has left His humble state and is now
exalted and enthroned at the right hand of God the Father,
Almighty. We remember that He still rules this world and the
Universe from there . He is above every other name and authority. He is
the King of kings and the Lord of lords. Ascension day is a bold declaration about ultimate authority. Jesus is in charge of all things . Every knee must bow before Him. Abraham Kuyper (1837 – 1920) , one time prime minister of the Netherlands and also
University professor and pastor, at the
turn of the 1900’s declared : “There’s
not an inch of this universe of which Jesus
does not say “Mine!”.
The contemporary theologian R.C.
Sproul says that “ there is not
a maverick molecule in the universe”.
Everything is under the sovereign
control of our King Jesus. He rules. Oh how we need to hear this truth in our fear riddled society! Currently the world is undergoing a huge
financial crisis , and no one knows how
this is going to end. What fears
such news brings to the heart of men . People
worry : How
will I eat , how will I drink , how will I clothe myself ( see Matthew 6 ) .Ascension
Day affirms ultimate authority in Christ , and my heart is
therefore at peace! Jesus authority in
heaven is not an abstract authority simply related to heaven. The Bible tells
us that from where He is “ knows how to rescue the godly from
trials “ ( 2 Peter 2:9) . From His
heavenly throne He has empowered His church. So when she lives in His strength
, and in obedience and submission to Him
, she shall have His power and authority.
Pentecost ( remembered on Sunday , in 10
days time) proved this .
5. We have
confidence that our Great Commission from Jesus must succeed ! This is why Jesus, knowing all this,
could say to His disciples on the eve of His departure, “All authority in Heaven and on
earth has been given to Me. Therefore go and make disciples of all
nations . . . teaching them to obey everything I have commanded
you . . .”( Matt 28:18-20.). Our ascended, glorious , all powerful Lord
guarantees the success of the church’s
mission!
6.
We remember this day because it proclaims the Lordship of Christ
everywhere on earth and in all areas of
life. Jesus has all
authority over every continent , country
and city. He has authority over every
people group. For reasons known only to Him some people
groups are presently more favoured with the gospel than others . Others
have been more favoured in the past (e.g.
North Africa ; Middle east ) . The
reason why the gospel is scarce in
Iran and Saudi Arabia is not because Jesus is powerless and helpless in those
countries . They may rage against Him
now , but according to Psalm 2 He
has the last say. Mockers must tremble ,
and Christians must be bold in prayer.
Jesus is the
King of the Universe. He possesses the hearts of the kings of the nations . He
must rule over every area of our life. Does Jesus care what we see , and what we listen to
? Is He not also concerned about
our business ethics, our legal practices?
Is He not also the Lord of business, sports, entertainment, and
government? Is He not also concerned
about what is taught in our
schools ? Does He not care about how the
sick are being looked after in our hospitals?
Is He not concerned about the decisions
that our parliamentarians make?
Indeed
, there is no area of life that is
outside of the authority of Christ. Every doctor, teacher, policeman,
parliamentarian, businessman, factory worker, mother, father, magistrate etc. will have to individually stand before this ascended , enthroned King and coming Judge, on the Day of Judgment.
All will have to give an account to Him
(see Matt 25) .
7. We remember this day
because it reminds us
that the ultimate victory
over all evil belongs to Christ. Many
rulers think that they have power
and authority in themselves . But where are they now ? Swept away in
death. Think of Caiaphas, the high
priest, Herod the king and Pontius
Pilate the Roman governor, who thought that they were very important and
powerful people. Where are they ? I tell you where they are. They are in
hell awaiting the coming final
judgment reserved for all the enemies of God at His
descension. They were so blinded by their self styled notions of grandeur, that they didn’t recognise that they were condemning
their Creator to death. It did not occur to them that
they who judged Him, would one day have to stand before the righteous
Judge. The Emperor Augustus who
issued the decree that a census should be taken of the entire Roman world,
requiring everyone to return to their town of birth, did not
realize , that this baby born under his rule to
lowly peasant class people
in Judea would one day judge him.
8.
The Ascension is a great comfort to believers who suffer persecution. “Therefore, since we have a great
High Priest Who has gone through the Heavens, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold
firmly to the Faith we profess.” Hebrews 4:14. Jesus will soon judge our enemies. “For He must reign
until He has put all His enemies under His feet.” (1 Cor 15:25).There
will be a day of accounting. Your
suffering is only for a brief period. Your future
joy shall be everlasting. Do not fear evil men,
governments or evil systems. Don’t fear them that can destroy the body…
fear Him who can destroy of body and soul
in hell . Do not bow before idols.
Do not compromise the essential
principles of your faith. Remember that Jesus rules. Remember that “. . . the earth will be filled with
the knowledge of the glory of the Lord, as the waters cover the sea.” (Habakkuk
2:14)
Remember
who is on the throne of the universe
right now : “Therefore God exalted Him to the highest place and gave Him the
Name that is above every name, that at the Name of Jesus every knee should bow
in Heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus
Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father” Phil 2:9-11.
9.
We remember this day , because it is presently entrenched in our
national calendar as a
great testimony to our Lord Jesus Christ! It gives us
gospel opportunities . Whenever people , or our children ask, “ What day is this ?” we have
an opportunity to share about the
person and work of the Lord Jesus Christ.
( See the example of the
Passover as a day to be
remembered in Ex 12:26 ) . Such days are like the erecting of a memorial ( e.g.
the stones in Joshua
4:6) for future generations .
The Lord commanded Israel to
observe a number of important
days in Israel. The most regular one was to be the Sabbath (the 7th day). We have other such
memorials in our year : Christmas ,
Easter , Ascension and Pentecost , and although the NT does not
insist that we shall keep them ( for
fear that we make the day greater
than the person of Christ – Col 2:16,17) , we do well to see
Christ in them .
Whatever glorifies our Lord Jesus must
be upheld by the Christian Church . So thank God for Ascension Day ,
when we can remember the Lord Jesus as He is now : Our glorious coming King! Amen !
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