If you were asked what day May 30th, 2019 is and it was suggested the day was special in some way and you were not looking at a calendar you would probably say it was Memorial day. It isn’t. But nice try. Some of you are already tapping your fingers on Google, thinking you can find the answer to this nail-biter faster than I will reveal it. Well, here it goes, it is Ascension day. That is right, the day that marks the 40th day of Easter (or 39 days after Easter Sunday).
Some would argue, like John Calvin, that Ascension day should be one of the “Five Evangelical Feasts.” I take feasts to mean a holiday that Christians celebrate. Can you guess what the other four are? Christmas, Good Friday, Easter, and Pentecost. This covers the birth, death, resurrection, ascension of Christ and then the pouring out the Spirit of God. Well, we got 3/5...more than 50%. 60% to be exact but I am a theologian, not a mathematician (and who knew until now that they snuck a letter “e” in the middle of mathematician. Thank you for helping me realize this, spell check).
Whether we fatten up a calf and then roast it on May 30th or not is really besides the point. The important issue is whether or not we understand the importance of the ascension. And there is much. We learn a lot about Jesus Christ and his life and ministry but in all honesty, when have you ever really heard much of anything about the ascension of Christ? Compared to the resurrection, probably not too much. In fact, if the resurrection and ascension were siblings, we know which one would be the favored one. If ascension were the older or younger bother/sister to the resurrection, they would probably struggle with neglect and maybe low self esteem. It would be bouncing off the walls and getting into all kinds of trouble just to get a little attention. Well, today we direct the spotlight to the ascension of Christ as we get ready to celebrate the death and resurrection of Christ. Assuming these two topics won't suffer any neglect this month, lets bring some needed attention to the forgotten sibling of the resurrection. Here are six reasons the ascension matters and you should teach it to your children.
The Apostles Creed Acknowledges The Ascension As A Foundation Of The Christian Faith
In perhaps the most glorious and complete statement of faith in Christendom we take it up from the theme of the resurrection and read this: "The third day he rose again from the dead. He ascended into heaven, and is seated at the right hand of God the Father Almighty." Notice this, the ascension is something the earliest believers of Christ looked to as something that bolstered their faith. We can easily see how believing in the resurrection of Christ boosts faith. What about the ascension? It did something for them, why not us? The next five points will explore why the ascension is an important part of the Christian's faith.
The Ascension Marks The Point When It Was Really Finished
This is not to say Jesus was wrong when he said "it is finished" upon the cross. However, upon reading Hebrews 10:11-14 carefully it appears that the Father verifies the life, death, and resurrection of Christ when he sat down at the Father's right hand:
Hebrews 10:12-13 But 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.
Interestingly, this passage assumes the resurrection but does not mention it. It does mention the ascension. He made the sacrifice for sins and then he sat down at the right hand of God. At this point, the cycle was completed. Tim Keller described the ascension as the the detonator on a pack of dynamite. This is when the explosive power of the life, death, and resurrection is "detonated" and made available to believers in Christ.
The Ascension Means Believers Have an Advocate With God The Father
How do you spell a-s-c-e-n-s-i-o-n? It is a-d-v-o-c-a-t-e. Wow...was that slick or what? 1 John 2:1 says My little children, I am writing these things to you so that you may not sin. But if anyone does sin, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous.
Because of the ascension of Christ into heaven at the Father's right hand those who put their faith in Christ have an advocate, standing in the presence of God. The package deal that believers also benefit from is the fact that we gain access to God because Jesus has ascended to the place sinners never could. Thanks to the ascension, believers have an advocate and intercessor in the person of Christ who stands at the right hand of God forevermore.
The Ascension Affirms That Believers In Christ Now Have Their Own Flesh In Heaven
Colossians 3:1-4 says believers are unified in Christ (hidden with Christ in God) who is seated at the right hand of God the Father. In other words, Jesus went to heaven in a glorified physical body with flesh and all. This assures believers in Christ will also spend eternity with a glorified, physical body as well. Not disembodied spirits, but glorified bodies in the presence of the living God...forever!
Think about it, the ascension of Christ and a believer's unity with Christ brings them into heaven, even now. Christ is in heaven and unity with him indicates that a believers citizenship truly isn't here but there.
The Ascension Marks the Beginning Of Christ's Eternal Reign Over All God's Enemies
Lets look at Hebrews 10:12-13 again: But 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.
What time is the statement "from that time" referring to? It would be from the time he sat down at the right hand of God. Thus, the ascension of Christ marked the time when Jesus began making his enemies into a footstool for his feet.
1 Peter 3:21b-22 says a similar thing:
through the resurrection of Jesus Christ, who has gone into heaven and is at the right hand of God, with angels, authorities, and powers having been subjected to him.
1 Peter mentions the resurrection but he points to the time when Jesus enters heaven and sits at the right hand of God. At this point, all the powers that be are subjected to him.
The Ascension Means That God Will Send His Spirit To Empower His Church To Complete Its Mission
This point is closely related to the previous point. You will remember when Jesus told his disciples that it was to their advantage that he goes away (John 16:7). Why? Because when he ascended he would send the Spirit of God which would more intimately apply the presence of Christ to each believer. This is amazing. Not only do we get the reigning power of Christ intimately applied to our hearts but we have what we need to complete our mission as the church.
Let me close with a quote from Kevin DeYoung (Why The Ascension Matters) TGC, May 31 2014.
“One with our flesh reigns in heaven. One from our race will return as King…The good news of Ascension Day is that Jesus Christ is exercising the dominion that man was made to have from the very beginning (Gen. 1:28). The ruin of the first Adam will be undone by the reign of the second. Because of Christ’s ascension, we know that the incarnation continues, Christ’s humanity lives on in heaven, the Spirit lives in our hearts, and a flesh-and-blood, divine human being rules the universe."
Amen. May we not forget the ascension of Christ as we celebrate the resurrection of Christ. May our faith rest, as it did with the apostles, upon the ascension of Christ and the many glories therein.
Pastor Kevin
Pastor Kevin
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