Verse of the Day

Wednesday, July 3, 2013

Pastor's Sermon Notes: The Ascension of the Lord Jesus Christ (Acts 1:9-11)

The Ascension of the Lord Jesus Christ
Acts 1:9-11

9 And when he had spoken these things, while they beheld, he was taken up; and a cloud received him out of their sight.
10 And while they looked stedfastly toward heaven as he went up, behold, two men stood by them in white apparel;
11 Which also said, Ye men of Galilee, why stand ye gazing up into heaven? this same Jesus, which is taken up from you into heaven, shall so come in like manner as ye have seen him go into heaven.

Introduction:

The Ascension as an under-emphasized doctrine

The Ascension as an unappreciated doctrine

The Ascension as a supremely important and eternally significant doctrine[1]

Outline:

I.  The Ascension of the Lord Jesus Christ as a Supernatural Historical Event (1:9)

II.  The Ascension of the Lord Jesus Christ as a Perplexing Personal Experience (1:10)

III.  The Ascension of the Lord Jesus Christ as an Essential Eschatological Episode (1:11)


I.  The Ascension of the Lord Jesus Christ as a Supernatural Historical Event (1:9)

9 And when he had spoken these things, while they beheld,[2] he was taken up; and a cloud received him out of their sight.

1 Tim. 3:16 - And without controversy great is the mystery of godliness: God was manifest in the flesh, justified in the Spirit, seen of angels, preached unto the Gentiles, believed on in the world, received up into glory.

            Old Testament:

Ps. 68:18 - Thou hast ascended on high, thou hast led captivity captive: thou hast received gifts for men; yea, for the rebellious also, that the LORD God might dwell among them.

Eph. 4:8 - Wherefore he saith, When he ascended up on high, he led captivity captive, and gave gifts unto men.

Ps. 110:1 - The LORD said unto my Lord, Sit thou at my right hand, until I make thine enemies thy footstool.

Pre-Crucifixion:

Jn. 6:62 - What and if ye shall see the Son of man ascend up where he was before?

Jn. 7:33 - Then said Jesus unto them, Yet a little while am I with you, and then I go unto him that sent me. 34 Ye shall seek me, and shall not find me: and where I am, thither ye cannot come.

Jn. 13:33 - Little children, yet a little while I am with you. Ye shall seek me: and as I said unto the Jews, Whither I go, ye cannot come; so now I say to you.

Jn. 14:28 - Ye have heard how I said unto you, I go away, and come again unto you. If ye loved me, ye would rejoice, because I said, I go unto the Father: for my Father is greater than I.

Jn. 16:5 - But now I go my way to him that sent me; and none of you asketh me, Whither goest thou?

Jn. 16:10 - Of righteousness, because I go to my Father, and ye see me no more;

Jn. 16:16 - A little while, and ye shall not see me: and again, a little while, and ye shall see me, because I go to the Father.

Jn. 16:28 - I came forth from the Father, and am come into the world: again, I leave the world, and go to the Father.

Jn. 17:11 - And now I am no more in the world, but these are in the world, and I come to thee. Holy Father, keep through thine own name those whom thou hast given me, that they may be one, as we are.

Lk. 9:51 - And it came to pass, when the time was come that he should be received up, he stedfastly set his face to go to Jerusalem,

Post-Resurrection:

Jn. 20:17 - Jesus saith unto her, Touch me not; for I am not yet ascended to my Father: but go to my brethren, and say unto them, I ascend unto my Father, and your Father; and to my God, and your God.

Other Ascension Accounts:

Mk. 16:19 - So then after the Lord had spoken unto them, he was received up into heaven, and sat on the right hand of God.

Lk. 24:50-52 - 50 And he led them out as far as to Bethany, and he lifted up his hands, and blessed them. 51 And it came to pass, while he blessed them, he was parted from them, and carried up into heaven. 52 And they worshipped him, and returned to Jerusalem with great joy: 53 And were continually in the temple, praising and blessing God. Amen.

Can it be that some usages of "raised up", or terms for "raised up" ("taken up") embrace not just Christ's resurrection, but also His ascension?  Cp. esp. Acts 2:24, 32; 3:26.

Other incidents of being "taken up":

Cp. Enoch and Elijah, the rapture, and also the two witnesses of Rev. 11:12

1 Th. 4:17 - Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord.

Rev. 11:12 - And they heard a great voice from heaven saying unto them, Come up hither. And they ascended up to heaven in a cloud; and their enemies beheld them.

Q46:  How dost thou understand these words, "he ascended into heaven"?

A46:  That Christ, in sight of his disciples, was taken up from earth into heaven; (a) and that he continues there for our interest, (b) until he comes again to judge the quick and the dead. (c)

(a) Acts 1:9; Matt.26:64; Mark 16:19; Luke 24:51.
(b) Heb.7:25; Heb.4:14; Heb.9:24; Rom.8:34; Eph.4:10; Col.3:1.
(c) Acts 1:11; Matt.24:30.


II.  The Ascension of the Lord Jesus Christ as a Perplexing Personal Experience (1:10)

10 And while they looked stedfastly[3] toward heaven as he went up, behold, two men stood by them in white apparel;[4]

1 Tim. 3:16 - And without controversy great is the mystery of godliness: God was manifest in the flesh, justified in the Spirit, seen of angels, preached unto the Gentiles, believed on in the world, received up into glory.

Lk. 24:4 - And it came to pass, as they were much perplexed thereabout, behold, two men stood by them in shining garments:

Jn. 20:12 - And seeth two angels in white sitting, the one at the head, and the other at the feet, where the body of Jesus had lain.

Acts 1:2 - Until the day in which he was taken up, after that he through the Holy Ghost had given commandments unto the apostles whom he had chosen:

Acts 2:7 - And they were all amazed and marvelled, saying one to another, Behold, are not all these which speak Galilaeans?

Acts 13:31 - And he was seen many days of them which came up with him from Galilee to Jerusalem, who are his witnesses unto the people. (Paul in the synagogue at Antioch in Pisidia on the sabbath day, with Barnabas.)

The preaching of the Apostles:

Acts 2:24 - Whom God hath raised up, having loosed the pains of death: because it was not possible that he should be holden of it.

Acts 2:29-36 - 29 Men and brethren, let me freely speak unto you of the patriarch David, that he is both dead and buried, and his sepulchre is with us unto this day. 30 Therefore being a prophet, and knowing that God had sworn with an oath to him, that of the fruit of his loins, according to the flesh, he would raise up Christ to sit on his throne; 31 He seeing this before spake of the resurrection of Christ, that his soul was not left in hell, neither his flesh did see corruption. 32 This Jesus hath God raised up, whereof we all are witnesses. 33 Therefore being by the right hand of God exalted, and having received of the Father the promise of the Holy Ghost, he hath shed forth this, which ye now see and hear. 34 For David is not ascended into the heavens: but he saith himself, The LORD said unto my Lord, Sit thou on my right hand, 35 Until I make thy foes thy footstool. 36 Therefore let all the house of Israel know assuredly, that God hath made that same Jesus, whom ye have crucified, both Lord and Christ.

Acts. 3:21 - Whom the heaven must receive until the times of restitution of all things, which God hath spoken by the mouth of all his holy prophets since the world began.


Acts 3:26 - Unto you first God, having raised up his Son Jesus, sent him to bless you, in turning away every one of you from his iniquities.

Q47:  Is not Christ then with us even to the end of the world, as he has promised? (a)

A47:  Christ is very man and very God; with respect to his human nature, he is no more on earth; (b) but with respect to his Godhead, majesty, grace and spirit, he is at no time absent from us. (c)

(a) Matt.28:20.
(b) Heb.8:4; Matt.26:11; John 16:28; John 17:11; Acts 3:21.
(c) John 14:17-19; John 16:13; Matt.28:20; Eph.4:8,12.

Q48:  But if his human nature is not present, wherever his Godhead is, are not then these two natures in Christ separated from one another?

A48:  Not as all, for since the Godhead is illimitable and omnipresent, (a) it must necessarily follow that the same is beyond the limits of the human nature he assumed, (b) and yet is nevertheless in this human nature, and remains personally united to it.

(a) Acts 7:49; Jer.23:24.
(b) Col.2:9; John 3:13; John 11:15; Matt.28:6.


III.  The Ascension of the Lord Jesus Christ as an Essential Eschatological Episode (1:11)

11 Which also said, Ye men of Galilee, why stand ye gazing[5] up into heaven? this same Jesus, which is taken up from you into heaven, shall so come in like manner as ye have seen him go into heaven.

1 Tim. 3:16 - And without controversy great is the mystery of godliness: God was manifest in the flesh, justified in the Spirit, seen of angels, preached unto the Gentiles, believed on in the world, received up into glory.

Q49:  Of what advantage to us is Christ's ascension into heaven?

A49:  First, that he is our advocate in the presence of his Father in heaven; (a)
secondly, that we have our flesh in heaven as a sure pledge that he, as the head, will also take up to himself, us, his members; (b)
thirdly, that he sends us his Spirit as an earnest, (c) by whose power we "seek the things which are above, where Christ sitteth on the right hand of God, and not things on earth." (d)

(a) 1 John 2:1; Rom.8:34.
(b) John 14:2; John 17:24; John 20:17; Eph.2:6.
(c) John 14:16,7; Acts 2:1-4,33; 2 Cor.1:22; 2 Cor.5:5.
(d) Col.3:1; Philip.3:14.

Heb. 4:14 - Seeing then that we have a great high priest, that is passed into the heavens, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold fast our profession.

Heb. 9:24 - For Christ is not entered into the holy places made with hands, which are the figures of the true; but into heaven itself, now to appear in the presence of God for us:

1 Pet. 3:22 - Who is gone into heaven, and is on the right hand of God; angels and authorities and powers being made subject unto him.


Conclusion:

Dan. 7:13-14 - 13 I saw in the night visions, and, behold, one like the Son of man came with the clouds of heaven, and came to the Ancient of days, and they brought him near before him. 14 And there was given him dominion, and glory, and a kingdom, that all people, nations, and languages, should serve him: his dominion is an everlasting dominion, which shall not pass away, and his kingdom that which shall not be destroyed.

Mt. 25:31 - When the Son of man shall come in his glory, and all the holy angels with him, then shall he sit upon the throne of his glory:

Mt. 28:3 - His countenance was like lightning, and his raiment white as snow:

Mk. 13:26 - And then shall they see the Son of man coming in the clouds with great power and glory.

Lk. 21:27 - And then shall they see the Son of man coming in a cloud with power and great glory.

Rev. 1:7-8 - 7 Behold, he cometh with clouds; and every eye shall see him, and they also which pierced him: and all kindreds of the earth shall wail because of him. Even so, Amen. 8 I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the ending, saith the Lord, which is, and which was, and which is to come, the Almighty.

Now in order to get the trajectory of this book let us turn from these verses to the end.  Let us stand together and turn to Acts 29.

[Sermon preached by Pastor John T. "Jack" Jeffery at Wayside Gospel Chapel, Greentown, PA on Sunday, June 23, 2013.]


Appendix:  Heidelberg Catechism, Lords Day 18[6]

Q46:  How dost thou understand these words, "he ascended into heaven"?

A46:  That Christ, in sight of his disciples, was taken up from earth into heaven; (a) and that he continues there for our interest, (b) until he comes again to judge the quick and the dead. (c)

(a) Acts 1:9; Matt.26:64; Mark 16:19; Luke 24:51.
(b) Heb.7:25; Heb.4:14; Heb.9:24; Rom.8:34; Eph.4:10; Col.3:1.
(c) Acts 1:11; Matt.24:30.

Q47:  Is not Christ then with us even to the end of the world, as he has promised? (a)

A47:  Christ is very man and very God; with respect to his human nature, he is no more on earth; (b) but with respect to his Godhead, majesty, grace and spirit, he is at no time absent from us. (c)

(a) Matt.28:20.
(b) Heb.8:4; Matt.26:11; John 16:28; John 17:11; Acts 3:21.
(c) John 14:17-19; John 16:13; Matt.28:20; Eph.4:8,12.

Q48:  But if his human nature is not present, wherever his Godhead is, are not then these two natures in Christ separated from one another?

A48:  Not as all, for since the Godhead is illimitable and omnipresent, (a) it must necessarily follow that the same is beyond the limits of the human nature he assumed, (b) and yet is nevertheless in this human nature, and remains personally united to it.

(a) Acts 7:49; Jer.23:24.
(b) Col.2:9; John 3:13; John 11:15; Matt.28:6.

Q49:  Of what advantage to us is Christ's ascension into heaven?

A49:  First, that he is our advocate in the presence of his Father in heaven; (a) secondly, that we have our flesh in heaven as a sure pledge that he, as the head, will also take up to himself, us, his members; (b) thirdly, that he sends us his Spirit as an earnest, (c) by whose power we "seek the things which are above, where Christ sitteth on the right hand of God, and not things on earth." (d)

(a) 1 John 2:1; Rom.8:34.
(b) John 14:2; John 17:24; John 20:17; Eph.2:6.
(c) John 14:16,7; Acts 2:1-4,33; 2 Cor.1:22; 2 Cor.5:5.
(d) Col.3:1; Philip.3:14.






[1] A Selection of Catechisms and Confessions on the Ascension of Christ:  Gadsby Catechism Q.36; Spurgeon's Catechism Q.27; Baptist Catechism Q.32; London Baptist Confession (1689) 8:4; First London Baptist Confession (1644/1646); Heidelberg Catechism, Lord's Day 18, Q.46-49; Westminster Shorter Catechism Q.28; Westminster Larger Catechism Q.51; Westminster Confession 8:4.
[2] Textual issue.  See F. F. Bruce, The Acts of the Apostles: The Greek Text with Introduction and Commentary, 2nd ed.  (Grand Rapids: Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing Co., n.d.; 1973 reprint of 1952 ed.), pg. 71.
[3] See Bruce, ibid.
[4] Textual issue on final two words. Rare word for "apparel".  See also Bruce, op. cit., pg. 72.
[5] See Bruce, op. cit., pg. 71, on this verb.
[6] This is the most extensive treatment of this subject found to date in any of the Reformed catechisms and confessions.  John T. Jeffery (23 JUN 2013)

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