Stray Thoughts: Ascension Day

Tomorrow is Ascension Day. It celebrates the crowning act of Jesus' work of redemption. But for so much of my life, I attended churches that ignored this day and its significance. And that's why I want to write something about it.

What this day remembers is recorded in Acts 1.

And when [Jesus] had said these things, as they were looking on, he was lifted up, and a cloud took him out of their sight. Acts 1:9

Okay. So, having finished what He came to do, Jesus goes into heaven to patiently wait there until it's time for Him to come back. Right? Well, not exactly. There's more to the story. (This is why it's important to understand any one part of Scripture in the context of other parts.)

This is what some of the rest of Scripture has to say about Jesus ascending into heaven.

[Jesus], for the joy that was set before him, endured the cross, despising the shame, and is seated at the right hand of the throne of God. Hebrews 12:2

What is this 'seated at the right hand of the throne of God'?

Another Scripture explains by saying more.

[Jesus] has gone into heaven and is at the right hand of God, with angels, authorities, and powers having been subjected to him. 1 Peter 3:22

This 'seated' has to do somehow with authority being granted to Jesus.

This from Peter's Pentecost sermon summarizes things well.

Let all the house of Israel therefore know for certain that God has made him both Lord and Christ, this Jesus whom you crucified. Acts 2:36

Did you catch it? Jesus has been made Lord and Christ. Something happened to change Jesus' status. At one point He wasn't Lord and Christ and then, at another point, He was made Lord and Christ. When was this? It was when He was 'seated at the right hand of the throne of God'. And as a result, Jesus can now say,

All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Matthew 28:18

Ascension Day.

Now, for the money question. What difference does this make? Well, Jesus rules from the throne of God. He has 'all authority'. He is Lord over everything. And that everything includes well, everything, all of heaven and earth. So, submission to Him, in everything, is not limited to Christians. Everyone and everything is to submit to Him: every person, institution, nation, organization, government and club. Everything is to submit to Jesus as Lord.

That lays out the game plan for us. We who are Christians are to work at submitting every aspect of our lives to Him. What does He call for in this area of my life? And what about that area? How does His being Lord define my life?

But that is not all. We are also to work at getting everyone else to submit to Him. (That kind of broadens what evangelism is about, no?) And this makes sense since Jesus really is Lord - over everyone and everything.

We work at this knowing that the day will surely come when this goal will be achieved, everyone will submit to Jesus.

For this reason God highly exalted him and gave him the name that is above every name, so that at the name of Jesus every knee will bow - in heaven and on earth and under the earth - and every tongue will confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father. Philippians 2:9–11

So, next time you list what Jesus has come to do, don't just refer to Jesus' birth, death and resurrection. Add His ascension to the end of that list. It really is that important.

And happy Ascension Day!

Uttermost, Intercession, Drawing Near

If today were Christmas Eve there would be a certain something in the air, a bit of anticipation. The same would be true if today were Easter, though maybe not quite as strong. But that's about all the notice that many Christians these days give to the church calendar. But what is the birth of Jesus and His resurrection without what happened on Good Friday, at Jesus' ascension into heaven and on Pentecost? Leave out any of these other events and you're ignoring something that the Father sent Jesus to accomplish. You’re leaving out a key part of the Gospel. There is no coming of the Spirit without Jesus ascending to the right hand of the Father. And there would be no ascension without a resurrection. But there would be no resurrection without an atoning death. And there would be no death if there had never been a birth. The work of Jesus is all of these things. So, while it is obvious to celebrate Christmas and Easter, it should also be obvious to celebrate Good Friday, Ascension Sunday and Pentecost. We need to celebrate all of what Jesus has come to do as our Savior.

Now, I said all of that because today is Ascension Sunday. So, we're going to take a break from our journey through Romans to spend a little time considering something that we confess quite regularly: 'He ascended into heaven and sits at the right hand of God the Father Almighty…' We’re going to look at the ascension of Jesus to heaven.

Ascension Sunday

Today is Ascension Sunday. It’s a day to remember a key event in Jesus’ life, His ascension into heaven. Luke reported what happened.

And when [Jesus] had said these things, as they were looking on, he was lifted up, and a cloud took him out of their sight. Acts 1.9

The Church has included this event in its creeds. So, the Apostles’ Creed states, ‘He ascended into heaven, and sits on the right hand of God the Father almighty’.

As you know, He’s not going to stay there forever. One day He will descend from heaven. So, again from Acts.

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 go into heaven.” Acts 1.10-11

And, again, the Apostles’ Creed includes this. ‘From thence he shall come to judge the quick and the dead.’

Jesus has ascended from earth into heaven to sit at the Father’s right hand, and He will, one day, descend from heaven to earth to evaluate every life.

Now, in light of all of that I have a question. It’s been about two thousand years since Jesus ascended to the right hand of the Father. So, what’s He been doing all this time?

He Ascended Into Heaven

At a recent Bible study we were looking at Exodus 13 where God establishes the Feast of Unleavened Bread. This was one of the feasts that Israel was to celebrate every year. And God insisted that they do this so that they would remember how God rescued them from Egypt. That rescue was one of His great acts of redemption. As we discussed Exodus 13, it became clear that God still wants His Church to remember what He has accomplished, the great acts of redemption that Jesus has done.

So, today I’m going remind you of one particular act of redemption, the ascension of Jesus. And today is the right day to do that since it is Ascension Sunday and celebrated as such in many faithful churches around the globe.