John 16:5-7 “But now I [Jesus, God the Son] am going to Him [God the Father] who sent Me; and none of you asks Me, ‘Where are You going?’ But because I have said these things to you, grief has filled your heart. But I tell you the truth: it is to your advantage that I am leaving; for if I do not leave, the Helper [God the Holy Spirit] will not come to you; but if I go, I will send Him to you.
Pastor Herk continues proclaiming that the work of the Holy Spirit within us is unexplainable but variable. The advantage of the Holy Spirit’s renovation and holy inspiration are even greater. Christ’s conversation encourages us to be righteous and holy, while the Holy Spirit quickens (makes alive) and enables us to be holy. We no longer have Jesus in bodily-form, but we do have Him in spirit-form – Christ with us. The ascension of Jesus prepared His disciples for the coming of Jesus’ spiritual presence within them. Christ ascended up from before their eyes and they turned back grieving, just to find Him in their heart.
Acts 1:9-11 And after He had said these things, He was lifted up while they were watching, and a cloud took Him up, out of their sight. And as they were gazing intently into the sky while He was going, then behold, two men in white clothing stood beside them, and they said, “Men of Galilee, why do you stand looking into the sky? This Jesus, who has been taken up from you into heaven, will come in the same way as you have watched Him go into heaven.”
Generally, when loved ones leave us, three things happen: (1) an emotional good-bye gesture is shared, (2) a require is made to keep in touch with each other, and (3) make plans to see each other again. Jesus’ departure was not much different. The Angels gave the disciples hope; Jesus is not gone forever, He is coming back. In John 14:1-3 Jesus said, “Do not let your heart be troubled; believe in God, believe also in Me. In My Father’s house are many rooms; if that were not so, I would have told you, because I am going there to prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I am coming again and will take you to Myself, so that where I am, there you also will be.”
Matthew 26:63-64 But Jesus kept silent. And the high priest said to Him, “I place You under oath by the living God, to tell us whether You are the Christ, the Son of God.” Jesus *said to him, “You have said it yourself. But I tell you, from now on you will see the Son of Man sitting at the right hand of power, and coming on the clouds of heaven.”
This ascension of Jesus into Heaven was not the end, but just the beginning of the next chapter in God’s redemption story. The disciples were encouraged and inspired by Jesus’ ascension as they worshiped Him, and returned to Jerusalem with great joy, and were continually in the temple praising and blessing God. Now, we are likewise encouraged and inspired by Jesus’ ascension reality and significance as His disciples today when we read and hear of it. Don’t worry, Jesus conquered sin, death and Satan, is now seated at the right hand of God interceding for us and is coming back for us. Don’t just stand around looking up with anticipation while doing nothing for the kingdom of God. Get busy doing His ministry work in the world. He left godly things for us to do. Jesus has told us in the Bible (the Word of God), things that He wants us to be involved in and accomplish as believers and His followers.
Jesus command in the Great Commission in Matthew 28: 18-19, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to Me. Go, therefore, and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit”, so we have to go out, look out into the world with initiation, spread the Gospel, go tell others what you have seen, heard and experienced yourself as a Christian.
In Acts 7:55-56 He [Jesus’ disciple Stephen], being full of the Holy Spirit, looked intently into heaven and saw the glory of God, and Jesus standing at the right hand of God; and he said, “Behold, I see the heavens opened and the Son of Man standing at the right hand of God”, affirming Jesus’ ascension in Heaven. There is confirmation with the Revelation of Jesus Christ, which God gave the Apostle John in Revelation 1:7-8 which states: “Behold, He is coming with the clouds, and every eye will see Him, even those who pierced Him; and all the tribes of the earth will mourn over Him. So it is to be. Amen. “I am the Alpha and the Omega,” says the Lord God, “who is and who was and who is to come, the Almighty.”
In John 17:5, Jesus prayed: “And now You, Father, glorify Me together with Yourself, with the glory which I had with You before the world existed.” In the ascension, Jesus return and was restored to His rightful place in the kingdom of Heaven at the right hand of the Father, Almighty God, in glory; exchanging a Cross for a throne.
1 Peter 3:21-22 says, “Corresponding to that, baptism [of Noah’s ark] now saves you—not the removal of dirt from the flesh, but an appeal to God for a good conscience—through the resurrection of Jesus Christ, who is at the right hand of God, having gone into heaven, after angels and authorities and powers had been subjected to Him. Jesus’ ascension into Heaven was the exclamation point on His triumphal victory. The Lord accomplished what He came to do in completing His mission here on earth. The blessing for us is that Jesus Ascended into Heaven and we as His born again and cleansed Followers will ascend into Heaven as well. We celebrate and rejoice in that! We need to encourage each other and others in this truth.
Now, go and fulfill the Great Commission proclaiming: I believe in God, the Father Almighty, creator of heaven and earth. I believe in Jesus Christ, his only Son, our Lord, who was conceived by the Holy Spirit, born of the Virgin Mary, suffered under Pontius Pilate, was crucified, died, and was buried; he descended to the dead. On the third day he rose again; he ascended into heaven, is seated at the right hand of the Father, and will come again to judge the living and the dead. I believe in the Holy Spirit, the holy universal Christian church, the communion of saints, the forgiveness of sins, the resurrection of the body, and the life everlasting. Amen.
In Christ, Brian
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