The Ascension of Christ
Please turn with me in your Bibles to Acts chapter 1. We will return to our exposition of Matthew's Gospel next Sunday. This morning we're going to look at Acts chapter 1 and several other passages as we treat the doctrine of the ascension of Christ. Kids, the word ascension or ascend is going to be said many times throughout the course of this message. It simply means to go up. If you had a bunk bed and you climbed up the ladder to the top of the bunk bed, you would have ascended, you would have gone up, you would have engaged in ascension. And that's what the word means, so as I say it several times this morning, please understand that's what I'm talking about. But I want to read Acts chapter 1, verses 9 to 11. The former account I made, O Theophilus, of all that Jesus began, both to do and teach, until the day in which He was taken up, after He, through the Holy Spirit, had given commandments to the apostles whom He had chosen, to whom He also presented Himself alive after His suffering by many infallible proofs, being seen by them during forty days, and speaking of the things pertaining to the kingdom of God. and being assembled together with them, he commanded them not to depart from Jerusalem, but to wait for the promise of the Father, which he said, You have heard from me. For John truly baptized with water, but you shall be baptized with the Holy Spirit not many days from now. Therefore, when they had come together, they asked him, saying, Lord, will you at this time restore the kingdom to Israel? And he said to them, It is not for you to know times or seasons which the Father has put in His own authority. But you shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you. And you shall be witnesses to Me in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth. Now when He had spoken these things, while they watched, He was taken up, and a cloud received Him out of their sight. And while they looked steadfastly toward heaven as he went up, behold, two men stood by them in white apparel, who also said, Men of Galilee, why do you stand gazing up into heaven? This same Jesus, who was taken up from you into heaven, will so come in like manner as you saw him go into heaven. Amen. Well, let us pray. Our Father in Heaven, we thank you for this Lord's Day. We thank you for this place where we can gather to worship the Triune God. We want to come to the Father through the mediation of the Lord Jesus Christ, by the power of the Holy Spirit, so that God may be all in all in this place. We would ask that you would be exalted, that you would be praised, that you would be worshipped. And we would ask as well that you would return blessing upon your people. She would encourage our hearts as we consider the fact that Jesus Christ was taken up into heaven, that he's enthroned at the right hand of God Most High, and that he will come again in glory to judge the living and the dead. May you as well use this word by the power of the Holy Spirit to bring conviction for sin to those who are unbelievers. We pray that today you would exercise your sovereign will and bring forth sinners and call them out of darkness into marvelous light so they may taste and see that the Lord is good. We ask that you would wash us all in the blood of the Lord Jesus, that you would cleanse us from all sin and transgression. How we thank you and how we praise you that there is forgiveness with you that you may be feared. We pray God that we would know that even now. Please send your Holy Spirit as we study scripture and we pray through Christ Jesus our Lord. Amen. Well, as we all know in the history of the Christian Church, we have believed and confessed that the Lord Jesus, after the resurrection of Christ, 40 days later, he ascended on high. The Westminster Shorter Catechism, as well as the larger catechism, highlight that the resurrection, the ascension, and what is called the current session of Christ from the Father's right hand. These are all elements involved in what is called the exaltation of Christ. So, Christ went from a state of humiliation that Pastor Porter just reminded us of, this ignominy, this place where He did not have a place to rest His head. We define that or we describe that as the state of humiliation. Well, after He renders that sacrifice, after He dies on the cross, He is buried, and on the third day He is raised from the dead, and thus enters into the state of exaltation. There's a world of practical benefit in this doctrine of the Ascension that I hope we will consider this morning. I want to look at three things as we gather together. First, look at the historical reality of the Ascension. Secondly, the theological significance of the Ascension. And then thirdly, the practical benefits of the Ascension. Now kids, if I were to ask you, what does Ascension mean, would you be able to answer? I would hope so. Remember, if you have a bunk bed and you ascend the ladder and go to the top. What we find in the book of Acts, Luke describes it in two places as Christ being taken up. He was taken up from earth into heaven. So let's look first at the historical reality of the ascension. The Old Testament prophesied that this would indeed take place. The Old Testament foretold of the coming Messiah, and that that Messiah would be a man of sorrows. He would be acquainted with grief. He would be cut off for his people. But that self-same Messiah would ascend again. He would return back to heaven. In Psalm 68, specifically in verse 18, Paul the Apostle quotes that in Ephesians 4, and he applies it to Christ. He said that He ascended on high, He led captivity captive, and He gave gifts to men. Psalm 110, verse 1. David says, the Lord, Yahweh, said to my Lord, Jesus, sit at my right hand till I make Your enemies Your footstool. I don't think it's an exaggeration to say that everywhere in the New Testament, that psalm, that verse, is either quoted or alluded to. But as well, the prophet Daniel foretold the ascension of Christ. You can look there. Daniel 7, specifically verses 13 and 14. We ought to see and observe that what happened in Acts 1, verses 9 to 11, was according to the promise of God, that the man of sorrows, the acquainted one with grief, the one who would die for our infirmities, would be raised from the dead and would ascend on high. Note Daniel 7, 13 and 14. The prophet says, I was watching in the night visions, and behold, one like the Son of Man. You see, we often refer to Jesus as the Son of Man, and we often associate it with His humanity, but that's not what's in view here. Son of Man, as an identifier of the Lord Jesus, speaks of His glory. It speaks of His majesty. It speaks of His most highness. In fact, Son of God, as applied to Jesus in the New Testament Scriptures, more often than not points to His humanity. But in this instance, notice, He sees one like the Son of Man coming with the clouds of heaven. He came to the Ancient of Days. I think this is a passage that is misunderstood when it comes to the doctrine of the end times, or eschatology, or what's going to happen when Jesus returns. We often marshal 7.13 from Daniel into the discussion and describe it as a coming-to-earth passage. In other words, Jesus is going to come from the Father to the earth in these clouds of heaven. Now, I certainly do not discount that Jesus will come to the earth. I do not discount that the Lord Christ has a second coming. But that's not what's in view here. What's in view is the ascension. Notice the direction of His ascent. He came to the Ancient of Days. Christ goes from earth, He comes to the Ancient of Days, and when He sits down at the right hand of the Majesty of God on high, note what happens in verse 14. Then to Him was given dominion, and glory, and a kingdom, that all peoples, nations, and languages should serve Him. His dominion is an everlasting dominion which shall not pass away, and His kingdom the one which shall not be destroyed. You see, there are those, again, with reference to eschatology, that teach that Jesus must return to earth before He begins His kingdom. No, according to the Scriptures, Jesus at His ascension sits at the right hand of the Father, where He receives this kingdom, where He exercises this dominion, where He rules with utter and absolute authority. The King is in, brethren. The King is enthroned at the right hand of His Father. Now, as we come to the New Testament, we're not going to exhaust all of the passages, but Jesus oftentimes spoke of returning to His Father. How would Jesus return to the Father? It would be through this ascension. It would be through this going up. It would be through what is recorded there for us in Acts chapter 1, verses 9 to 11. Jesus spoke of the benefits. the privileges, the blessings involved in His going to the Father. When He goes to the Father, He goes to prepare a place for us. Don't forget John 14, verses 2 and 3. What does Jesus say is one of His missions when He returns to heaven, when He returns to the Father? It is to prepare a place for us. It is to carve out in this mansion of God these places for our eternal abode. The Lord Christ has for us great blessings and great privileges, and He speaks to this. But as well, He says, that I will send, My Father will send another Comforter. And in John 16, 7, he says, it is to your advantage that I go away. Could you imagine being his disciples in the upper room and hearing him say that? It is to your advantage that I go away. I think my heart would have dropped and it would have sank and I would have said, there could be no advantage in you going away, Jesus. The only advantage I can ever envision is you being with me, you being close to me, you being always present. But Jesus says it is to your advantage that I go away, because if not, the Holy Spirit will not come. We mustn't devalue, we mustn't limit, and we mustn't denigrate the power and the influence of the Holy Spirit, brethren. The Lord Christ says it is to our advantage that He goes away. So Christ spoke of His ascension in the Gospel records. Luke speaks of the ascension in Luke 24, verses 50 to 53, and then here in Acts 1, 9 to 11, which we'll look at in more detail now. So if you're not in Acts 1, you can turn to Acts 1. First thing we ought to appreciate is that 9 to 11, the doctrine of the ascension, is somewhat bracketed by references to the ascension. You know what brackets are, right? You've got a stack, a shelf full of books, and you put brackets on either side so they don't fall. Or you might think of the end pieces in a loaf of bread. You've got all those beautiful, pristine slices, and then that sort of end piece that, you know, we'll eat it, but it's not our first choice. We're not really into that much crust. Those are the end pieces, those are the brackets, those are the things that sort of include everything in between. Luke does that to show us and to highlight for us the centrality of ascension in Acts 1, 9 to 11. Notice in Acts 1, 2. Luke says, "...until the day in which he was taken up." There's our word, ascension. He's taken up. And then note in Acts 1.22. We did not read this, but notice. Verse 21, "...therefore, of these men who have accompanied us all the time that the Lord Jesus went in and out among us, beginning from the baptism of John to that day when he was taken up from us." You see, for Luke, the doctrine of the ascension was important. For Luke, the doctrine of the Ascension was essential. For Luke, the doctrine of the Ascension was something that the Christian church needs to get their minds wrapped around. Now note that the Ascension is reported to us in verse 9. Now when he had spoken these things, while they watched, he was taken up, and a cloud received him out of their sight. There are several observations we ought to make here. In the first place, the Ascension was real. It was real. This isn't mass hysteria. This isn't the disciples checking out and engaged in some sort of smoking experiment and then having this mystical experience. It was a real experience. There's no other way that Luke could highlight the reality of it than as he does. When they watched, they saw, they looked. The angels spoke to them to interpret the event. It was a real event. It really took place. The historical accuracy of the Ascension is something the church must confess and something the church must insist upon. Of course, in the history of the church, there have been those who have said, no, you know, it wasn't really that. It wasn't really what is written here. Well, we don't listen to those people who say what wasn't really there. We'll listen to the disciples, under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, that they saw, they looked, they watched, they gazed. Everything about this screams. historical reality. Note as well, it was visible. Some have taught that it wasn't this visible local relocation. Some have taught that he sort of just disappeared and, you know, he became an idea, or some called the ubiquitarians. That means that Jesus' flesh is everywhere present. Lutherans believe this. Get the ascension wrong to some degree or other. But this was a visible thing. They looked, they saw, they had to be sort of gently reproved by the angels themselves. I mean, they're still looking up at this cloud and the angels say, why do you continue to gaze? The angels essentially say, get busy! The Lord has told you what you must do, tarry at Jerusalem until you receive the Holy Spirit, and then go and preach the Gospel, first in Jerusalem, and then in Judea and Samaria, and then to the uttermost parts of the earth. Christ had finished showing them all the particular proofs concerning His resurrection. He had instructed them in all the particular things that they would have needed to hear. And so the angels, again, gently chide them, why do you stand gazing? He's going to come back. You need to occupy and you need to fight and you need to go forward and be that soldier we just sang about and do the work that has been given to you. It was visible. One commentator says the use of the Greek word blepane, which is sea, places the ascension in the same category of events as any other happening in the story of Jesus. We ought to understand that. When He had spoken these things, while they watched, while they looked, while they sought, while they gauged, it was a visible relocation of the Lord Jesus Christ. A third thing we ought to observe is that it was bodily. It was bodily, the very Christ that had risen from the dead, the very Christ they had seen on the cross, the very Christ that they saw crucified. In fact, when the angels get to interpretation, they say this same Jesus. The same Jesus you knew prior to the cross, the same Jesus you saw hanging on the cross, the same Jesus you saw on the third day, who had risen from the dead, this same Jesus is the one who has bodily ascended on high. Remember in the beauty of the incarnation, the second person of the triune God took to himself our nature, He took to Himself all of the properties and common infirmities, accepting sin to be sure, but He identifies with us. And He is in that state presently, both God and man, two natures, divine and human, in one glorious person forever. So it was a bodily ascension. He went up in the flesh. And then notice, or our confession says rather, on the third day, 2nd London Confession 8-4, on the third day he arose from the dead with the same body in which he suffered. So we need to understand that. There were persons that denied the physicality of our Lord. They said that the spiritual is what really matters, the physical not so much. That's why John in his first epistle is insisting upon the fact that Christ came in the flesh. This is why Christ, heading off at the past, what would later be called Gnosticism, says to his disciples, look and touch and see. He has flesh and he has bones. He eats fish and broiled fish and honeycomb. As I said to the brothers yesterday, he doesn't eat honeycomb if you have the ESV. He eats honeycomb in the New King James and the King James translation. He liked a little sweet with his fish. You see, he wasn't a phantom. He wasn't an apparition. He wasn't this head with wings that would eventually go and strum a harp on a cloud. That's not it. It was a bodily resurrection. It was a bodily ascension. That's what the confession says. On the third day, he arose from the dead with the same body in which he suffered, with which he also ascended into heaven. Another observation, that it was local. Local means it was a movement from one locale to another. It was a movement from earth to heaven, from one location to another location. It was a local ascension of relating to or characteristic of a particular place. Jesus in His body was seen by these men, standing upon the earth, while He talked to them. And then when they saw, or when they watched, or when they gazed, He was taken up. He went to another location. He went to heaven. He sits enthroned on high. Turretin summarizes all that I've been trying to say here. He says, we maintain that Christ went up locally, visibly, and bodily from earth into the third heaven or seat of the blessed above the visible heavens. He says, not by a mere withdrawal of his visible presence or familiar intercourse, but by a true and local translation of his human nature. There he will remain until the day of judgment, so that although he is always present with us by his grace and spirit and divinity, yet he is no longer with us by the bodily presence of his flesh. So on one hand it teaches us the absence of his humanity, but it does not teach us the absence of Christ. This is what Turretin highlights. He is with us by his grace and spirit and divinity. When John the seer in Revelation 1 sees the Son of Man standing in the midst of the lampstands, we are to understand it. In terms of that vision, He is present with His church. And by extension, He is present with this church by His grace, by His Spirit, by His divinity. He is not locally present in terms of His humanity. But brethren, that does not mean He is absent. Sunday morning you ought to rise from the sack saying, I was glad when they said unto me, let us go to the house of the Lord. Not because I'm going to hear Porter, not because I'm going to hear Butler, not because I'm going to see that friend I haven't seen for several days, but because Christ is there. Jesus is present. Jesus' grace, Jesus' spirit, Jesus' divinity. The Lord of glory himself dwells in the midst of the lampstand. And I want to add one final observation concerning this. It was glorious. For those students of the Old Testament, what does the cloud more often than not represent? Jesus ascends. He is taken up. And what is he enveloped in? Or what is he received into? A cloud. How many times in your studies in the Old Testament have you seen God's glory with the cloud? How many times have you seen that Shekinah in the cloud? This glory cloud envelops the Lord Jesus Christ such that these men are gazing on. They were not foolish. They were not men that didn't understand. They knew what was going on. This same Jesus was taken up And then the angels now come to interpret for them. Look at what they say. And I take these as angels. While they looked steadfastly toward heaven, as he went up, behold, two men stood by them in white apparel, who also said, Men of Galilee, why do you stand gazing up into heaven? I love this. Isn't this the church? You know, we're just standing there, looking up, and the angels come and say, Get busy. It's not wrong to gaze into heaven. Put one eye on heaven and one eye on your task. I hope you don't make widgets at the factory and your boss walks to the factory floor and sees you doing this and you say, but I'm a believer in Jesus and that's what I do. Well, if I were your boss, I'd say, you know, put one eye up there and one eye on your widget and make it. To the glory of God, to the exaltation of the Christ, the blessedness and the holiness and the majesty that is his. These men gaze, and look what the angels say. Why do you stand gazing up into heaven? This same Jesus. Notice, again, Luke couldn't be more conspicuous to tell us that the Jesus that went into the grave, the Jesus that comes up out of the grave, is the Jesus that is taken up into heaven. this same Jesus. Now, there were certainly changes. We talked about this yesterday. There's continuity and discontinuity. When we go into the grave, we will come out glorified on that day of judgment, that day of resurrection. As I said to the brothers yesterday, that doesn't mean we're all going to look like Brad Pitt. You know, the men aren't going to be Schwarzenegger with guns and, you know, back muscles and all that. What goes into the grave comes out of the grave. You may not like that, but that's the lot that you have. But there's the glorification that takes place. When they saw Jesus, when Jesus appears to Thomas, what does He say to him? He shows him the pierce marks in His hands. He shows him the side. The same Jesus that went into the grave comes up out of the grave. Yes, He is glorified. Yes, He is different in one sense, but He's not different in the sense that He's someone else. We need to understand that. This same Jesus, who went into the grave, comes up out of the grave, ascends into heaven, and this same Jesus will return. It's not glorious. It's not amazing. It's not what the angels affirm here. The promise of the second coming. He will so come in like manner as you saw him go into heaven. In other words, if any of you out here have this idea that, you know, maybe Christianity isn't true. You know, maybe my parents have just been weaving this tale all along. Or maybe my friends at school, you know, with their 15 years of maturity and intellect, are right, there is no God. Or maybe your college professor who's an atheist and a rebel against the living and the true God. You might say for a moment, well, you know, he might be right. Listen to my words this morning and pay attention to what Luke is saying. You will stand before this Jesus to give an account. You will face this Jesus. You will face this one. It will be real. It will be visible. It will be local. It will be bodily. You, in your flesh, you will stand before the judge of all the earth, who always does what's right. This is the affirmation of our text. If we affirm and confess the ascension, we are equally affirming and confessing the second coming of the Lord Jesus, the judgment of all men, the righteous judgment of all men. Again, this is a doctrine, this is something we don't like to think about. If we're believers, I hope we like to think about it, but unbelievers don't like to think about the reality that someday I'll stand before the judge of all the earth. You know, they're sort of like David. David fell into sin in 2 Samuel chapter 11. David engaged in gross immorality. David committed adultery. And instead of David making good and confessing it and forsaking it and repenting of it, David went into cover-up mode. You see, there's nothing new under the sun, brethren. Politics then were much like politics now. So David first invites Uriah so that Uriah will lie with his own wife, and once it's found out that Bathsheba's pregnant, then David will be off the hook. Uriah is a godly man. Uriah is the quintessential Israelite in 2 Samuel 11. So then David tries again. Well, I'll have him over and I'll ply him with wine. I'll get him drunk. And certainly then he'll be feeling amorous and he'll return home and engage with his wife. But again, the alcohol didn't destroy the integrity of Uriah. So instead of just seeing the writing on the wall and realizing, you know what, this is just a foolish thing. I ought to repent, I ought to confess, I ought to forsake. No, David goes into further cover-up mode and he hands a letter to Uriah, tells him to take it to Joab, which says to Joab to put Uriah into the battle so that he dies. What happens? Joab follows the direction. Uriah dies in battle. Nine months pass. The very beginning of the chapter, he gets Bathsheba pregnant. The chapter ends nine months later with the birth of a baby boy. What do you think persons are thinking there in that nine-month period? Something that I think you might think. I got away with it. No one detected me. The gossips in the court managed to keep their mouths silent. No one saw. I'm scot-free. Uriah's gone. Everybody knows that Bathsheba's my wife. So when she sees, or when she's visible with that bun in the oven, everybody will know that it's legit. You see, this is what happens to you. You sin. And immediately, God doesn't send lightning bolts out of heaven to destroy you. So what happens? You get a little cocky and arrogant, don't you? Let's be honest. I'm not trying to, you know, make anybody raise their hands or walk the aisle and say, that's me, pal. No, just think about it. You get away with sin, and it emboldens you for further occasions of sin. You begin to think like an atheist. You may not be an atheist. You may assume there is a God. You may even assume the Bible is His Word. You may even think, I should go to church, but you're not a believer. You're functioning like an atheist, and you think, well, God's not zapped me thus far. God's not brought me into hell thus far. Perhaps I've got away with it. It's a curious thing about 2 Samuel 11. It's a godless chapter until verse 27b. Godless in two ways. David's conduct and the fact that God isn't there. No reference to Yahweh in 2 Samuel 11, 1 to 27a. So one might surmise that David got away with it. You might hit your melon and say, wow, it just goes that way for some people. Boy, they're lucky. I hope we don't say it that way. But verse 27b tells us the divine comment, but the thing that David did was evil in Yahweh's eyes. You see, I think there's connection here. You live like a pagan. You live like an atheist. You live like a heathen. And you put out of your mind the thought of a coming judgment. You put out of your mind the thought that one day you will stand before the Lord Christ and give an account of deeds done in the body, whether good or ill. Look at what they say. This same Jesus whom you saw taken up, and I think involved this same Jesus whom you saw live, die, rise again. This same Jesus will so come in like manner as you saw him go into heaven. So let's just suppose you live a life of 80 years of rebellion against God, and 80 years you think, I got away with it. You're going to find out on that day that the things you have done were evil in the eyes of Yahweh. Don't play games with the second coming. I have often thought that the doctrine of evolution, at least in its practical import, is to deny the second coming. You see, it makes sense, at least on a devilish scale. You take God out from the beginning, you certainly get rid of him in the middle, and he's not present at the end. Does that make sense? If I deny the presence of God in the doctrine of creation, it becomes far easier for me to deny the presence of God in the doctrine of providence. I don't have a God to think of in my day-to-day life. And I certainly don't need to worry about what happens when I die, because this massive collection of atoms will just dissipate and do whatever a massive collection of atoms does. People everywhere today are denying the reality of the Second Coming of our Lord Jesus. Don't make that mistake. Now notice, what is the theological significance of the Ascension? This is in no order. It's not like This is everything that we can exhaust from the doctrine of the Ascension, but these are just some thoughts. In the first place, it is the fulfillment of Scripture. I've already said, Psalm 68, Psalm 110, Daniel 7, 13, and 14. The New Testament authors are meticulous to record for us that Christ does fulfill Scripture. It's not haphazard, it's not random, it's not chance, it's according to the prophetic Word that Christ conducts Himself in this world. Because the prophets wrote according to the inspiration of the Holy Spirit. It is recorded for us to highlight yet again the reality of God's inspired Word. Secondly, it is the completion of Christ's earthly ministry. You can turn to Hebrews 9, where I think this is brought out. So in the first place, theological significance, the fulfillment of Scripture. Secondly, the completion of Christ's earthly ministry. John Gill links the priestly office of Christ with the Ascension often, because the high priest enters into that holy of holies. The high priest goes into that chamber to have dealings with God. And that's what the author of Hebrews, Paul, as I believe, brings out. Notice in Hebrews 9.12, Well, verse 11, But Christ came as High Priest of the good things to come, with the greater and more perfect tabernacle, not made with hands, that is, not of this creation, not with the blood of goats and calves, but with His own blood. Notice, He entered the most holy place, once for all, having obtained eternal redemption. Isn't that beautiful? The Old Covenant High Priest went into that Holy of Holies one day a year on the Day of Atonement, but it never fulfilled the purposes of God. It pointed forward to the Lamb of God who would take away the sin of the world. But the Apostle here highlights that he enters into the most holy place once for all. Notice in 10-12, that this man, after he had offered one sacrifice for sins forever, sat down at the right hand of God. You know what you did not find on the Day of Atonement in Leviticus 16? You did not find the high priest sit down in the Holy of Holies. You didn't find that. He went in three or four times and he got out. He didn't chill. He didn't hang out. He didn't sit in a chair and put his feet up. He got out of there rapidly. But Christ, conversely, because He fulfills all that the Father gave Him in His active obedience to the demands of the law, in His passive obedience in yielding Himself up as a sacrifice for sin, Christ satisfies divine justice. So Christ sits at the right hand of God Most High. Birkhoff says, the Ascension clearly embodied the declaration that the sacrifice of Christ was a sacrifice to God. I need to get that. Somebody reminded me recently, we are saved by God from God. It is His wrath and His vengeance and His judgment against sin. But He says, "...it clearly embodied the declaration that the sacrifice of Christ was a sacrifice to God, which as such had to be presented to Him in the inner sanctuary, that the Father regarded the mediatorial work of Christ as sufficient and therefore admitted Him to the heavenly glory." So you see, when we look at this doctrine of the ascension, the theological significance, yes, the fulfillment of Scripture, yes as well, the completion of Christ's earthly ministry, but then thirdly, we ought to think of the enthronement of Christ at the right hand of the Father. You can turn back to Acts 1. Turn back to Acts 1, just to see this particular observation, the enthronement of Christ at the right hand of the Father. There is a strong connection between Acts 1 and 2. We are reminded three times in Acts 1 of this day, the day that Jesus was taken up, the day that Jesus was taken up. Well, at least two times. I don't know if day is used in the 9 to 11, but we assume it's the day. What's the next day? It's the day of Pentecost, isn't it? What's Jesus demonstrating on the day of Pentecost? You see, our charismatic friends and Pentecostal friends are wrong to see in Acts 2 that the primacy is upon the Holy Spirit. Certainly the Holy Spirit is to be seen, the Holy Spirit is to be adored, the Holy Spirit is to be glorified, worshipped, and honored because He is God. But the spotlight in Acts 2 is upon Christ. He ascends on high, He leads captivity captive, and He gives gifts to men. What's the gift that He gives to men? The Holy Spirit. This is a demonstration that He is enthroned. This is a demonstration that He has that power of kingly authority. Note specifically Peter's argument when he preaches in Acts chapter 2. He highlights the resurrection of Christ, Acts 2, 25-32. Then notice the ascension and enthronement of Christ in verses 33-36. Therefore, being exalted to the right hand of God, and having received from the Father the promise of the Holy Spirit, He poured out this which you now see and hear. And Peter even uses the language of ascension in verse 34. For David did not ascend into the heavens. This going up, this taking up, doesn't refer to David, it refers to Jesus, David's greater Son. And then note the application of Psalm 110, verse 1, to our Lord. The Lord said to my Lord, sit at my right hand, till I make your enemies your footstool. You see, on the one hand, chapter 1 teaches us the absence of Christ in His humanity. But it teaches us as well the presence of Christ at the right hand of the Father, where He overrules all things by His grace, by His Spirit, by His divinity, such that He is always present with the church. In fact, look at Acts 1, verse 1. There's an interesting observation here. Luke refers to the first letter that he wrote. Of course, Acts is written by Luke. Notice in Acts 1.1, the former account I made, O Theophilus, that's Luke, that's his gospel. Of all that Jesus began, don't miss the significance of this word. Of all that Jesus began, both to do and teach. So Luke records, in Luke, all that Jesus both began to do and to teach. You know what Acts does? It demonstrates how Jesus continues to do and to teach, by the power of the Holy Spirit, enthroned at the Father's right hand, where He overrules all things for the good of His church. We ought to think enthronement when we think ascension. Paul touches on this. Notice in Ephesians chapter 1. I hope you get happy looking at these texts. I hope that you get encouraged and I hope you get fired up. This is the stuff of the church militant. This is the kind of stuff we need to believe when we go to prayer, when we go to preach, when we go to worship. This is the stuff that fueled the early church. As I've said on many occasions from this pulpit, the most quoted or alluded to Old Testament verse in the New Testament is Psalm 110. You see, under the authority and under the tyranny and under the reign of the Roman Empire, the Christians didn't just lie down. The Christians didn't just go about with their knees knocking in a pathetic and unmanly sort of a way. No, they say, the Lord, Yahweh, said to my Lord, Jesus, sit at my feet. until I make Your enemies Your footstool." They never lost sight of the fact that the King of kings and the Lord of lords was on His throne. He had ascended on high. He led captivity captive. He gave gifts to men. This encouraged the church. It caused her to fight through those things, not physically, but according to her spiritual arms. She took up prayer and preaching under the reality that Christ the King was over all. Notice Paul in Ephesians 1 verse 20. 19. And what is the exceeding greatness of His power toward us who believe, according to the working of His mighty power, which He worked in Christ, when He raised Him from the dead, and seated Him at His right hand in the heavenly places, far above all principality, and power, and might, and dominion, and every name that is named, not only in this age, but also in that which is to come? You see, the emphasis that I mentioned before, we're not waiting for Christ to reign. We're not waiting for Christ to set up His kingdom. We're not waiting for some earthly millennial period. The King is in. He has this authority in this age, Paul says, and in the age to come. Listen to John Eady when he comments on this passage in Ephesians. He says, the head that once was crowned with thorns is now crowned with universal sovereignty. This quote from Edie is gold. Listen. If you haven't listened to anything up to this point, please listen now. The head that once was crowned with thorns is now crowned with universal sovereignty. The hand that was once nailed to Calvary's tree now wields the scepter of unlimited dominion. The feet that were washed by the harlot's tears and carried the Savior up the hill of Calvary are now over everything that is. He who lay in the tomb has now ascended to the throne of unbounded empire. You know what you think when he went up? You think he sat at the right hand of the majesty on high. You think that the king is in. You think that He has all authority in heaven and on earth, and that He wields that scepter, He wears that crown. He is most glorious and most excellent. He is the all-powerful One. Paul says this as well in Philippians chapter 2. We won't look at that one, but you can compare that later. And then the final thing we ought to consider in terms of the theological significance of the doctrine of the ascension is the glory given to Christ as a result of His mediatorial work. You say, why should I be concerned with that? Because Christ is your altogether lovely and chief among 10,000, and when he's crowned with glory by the Father, you rejoice. You praise. You ever asked yourself, what do I think concerning the resurrection from the dead? Well, I think it's nice. I think it's good. I think it warms my heart occasionally. You know what God thinks of the resurrection? Therefore God has highly exalted him and given him the name which is above every name. The Father was pleased with the work of His Son, such that He raised Him from the dead. He stationed Him at His right hand, and He gave Him this unmitigated glory." You say, well, the Lord Jesus always had glory as the second person of the triune God. This is as mediator. This is as God-man. This is as second person, united with our flesh. It is the glorious hypostatic union of Christ. It is Him currently enjoying that glory given to Him by the Father. And the people of God rejoice in that. 1 Timothy 3, 16, Paul says God was manifested in the flesh. He was justified in the Spirit. He was seen by angels. He was preached among the Gentiles. He was believed on in the world. And guess what? He was received up in glory. That should make the believer happy. Especially in a world like ours where persons blaspheme His holy name and they curse. When we read these passages in Ephesians 1, and we read these passages in Philippians 2, and we see that God has given Him the name which is above every name, we must realize that this season, this period of blasphemy, it will end. It will not continue into the Eschaton. In that New Jerusalem, in that place wherein righteousness dwells, there's no more blasphemy. There is no more misuse of the name of our Holy Lord. it will be praise, glory, honor, majesty given to the King who is altogether worthy of it. Well, brethren, as we come to a conclusion, what is the practical benefit of the ascension? The practical benefit of the ascension. I've already mentioned in the first place the gift of the Holy Spirit. We've been blessed by the presence and the power of the Holy Spirit. Now, I believe the Spirit was present in the Old Testament. David, after his repentance, says, take not thine Holy Spirit from me, which implies that the Holy Spirit was with David. What we find in the New Covenant is a more quantitative outpouring of the Holy Spirit in line with Joel's prophecy, such that what we see in Acts chapter 2 was told by God through the prophet Joel and is applied in the day of Pentecost. It's not the absence of the Spirit in the Old Covenant, but in the New Covenant we've come to a day where there's greater effusion, greater outpouring of the power of the Holy Spirit. And the Spirit is given to the church to empower her for mission, How does the Church do what the Church does in Acts 2 to 28? How does Peter do what he does? How does Paul do what he does? How do disciples take the sort of persecution and the beatings and the onslaughts that they do apart from the empowerment of the Holy Spirit? How do twelve men turn the world upside down? Are they excellent men? I'm certain to say they are excellent men, but that's not how they turn the world upside down. It's the power of the Holy Spirit. It's the Holy Spirit and the missionary enterprise. You see, we set up these parachurch mission board agencies. That's not what the Spirit demonstrates in Acts 13. The Spirit comes to the church and says, Separate to me Barnabas and Paul for the work that I have for them. It is the Spirit who enables, it is the Spirit who empowers, it is the Spirit who blesses the preaching of the Word for the saving of the sinner. You see, brethren, the church is empowered because Jesus is enthroned at the right hand of the majesty of God on high. That's Peter's point in Acts 2, 33-36. He poured out this which you see and hear. Therefore, let all the house of Israel know assuredly that God has made this Jesus, whom you crucified, both Lord and Christ. It is the power of Christ at the Father's right hand who sends, or by which the Spirit of God comes to the church. And consider this, not only in the corporate sense, but in terms of the individuals who make up the church. We get discouraged, don't we? Oh, not me, brother. I'm just a happy camper 24-7. I don't think anyone would say that. You get discouraged, don't you? What does Jesus tell his disciples in the upper room? I will pray my Father and he will send you, what? Another comforter. The word another there means one just like the one. In other words, it's not heterodox. You've heard heterodox. It means a different type of dox, a different type of doctrine. This is another of the same kind. The Father and the Son send another of the same kind. The Spirit is of the same kind as the Father and the Son. And He comes to us, and what does He do? He comforts us. He encourages us. He strengthens us. He helps us. He causes us to reflect on glorious passages of truth. He causes us to reflect on those portions of Holy Scripture that we need at particular times. Have you ever been in that situation? It's Thursday, and you feel miserable, and you go to your Scriptures, and it's as if that particular point was written just for you? It's not mysticism. It's not, you know, wow, all I got to do is, you know, do what those old boys used to do, open the Bible and just put my finger there and take that as my test. No, but we ought to realize that the Spirit is real. The Spirit knows how to comfort His people. The Spirit knows how to encourage His saints. The Spirit knows how to move us along. The Spirit knows what we need in our times of need, and our Lord Christ sends Him to us. It's truly a blessed reality and a blessed thought. The second thing we ought to appreciate with the reality that Jesus has ascended on high is the intercession of Christ. What is Jesus doing in heaven? Yes, he's reigning and ruling at the right hand of the majesty of God. He has absolute and utter authority. He has unbounded empire. Do you know what he's doing for us? I mean, these are passages, brethren, that men could have never made up. I sometimes think passages like these are passages that truly affirm the triune God, The doctrine of justification by faith alone, the work of Christ and the gospel. I mean, who would make up this? Romans 8, 34, who is he who condemns? We deserve condemnation, don't we? In light of our sins, in light of our wickedness, in light of our evil. But Paul is challenging anyone who would ever condemn one for whom Jesus died. Paul is saying to the church, do not let them get you down. Do not let them bind you. Do not let them. Even the devil himself, who is an accuser of God's people, resist him, because it is Christ who died. He says, and furthermore, is also risen, who is even at the right hand of God, who also makes intercession for us. It is the case we can say to the condemners, you're right, I am guilty. I am a wretch. I am miserable. There's nothing that you can ever say that would surprise me or convince me otherwise, but I've got a Savior who lives. I've got a Savior who died and who lives, and who stands enthroned at the right hand of the Father on high, and He intercedes for me. What about Hebrews 7.25? Therefore He is also able to save to the uttermost those who come to God through Him, since He always lives to make intercession for them. I think about that when I read Isaiah 6. You know, the angels are standing before the throne of God, and the seraphim, they have these wings, and with two they cover their face, with two they fly, with two they cover their feet. And what do they do at the throne of God? They say, Holy, holy, holy is the Lord of hosts. The whole earth is full of his glory. I think in our Western minds, we read Isaiah 6, and we think, oh, they punch in at 6 a.m., and they make their confession, and they punch out by 6.01. No, this is their job. This is what they do. They attend the throne of God to exclaim, Holy, holy, holy is the Lord of hosts. The whole earth is full of his glory. That's what they do. Well, according to the apostle, this is what Jesus does. He makes intercession for us. He stands for us. He advocates for us vis-Ã -vis 1 John 2, 1. My little children, I write these things so that you may not sin, but if anyone does sin, we have an advocate with the Father, even Jesus Christ the righteous. Does that make you happy? Does that encourage you? Listen to Calvin's comment here. He says, as faith recognizes, it is to our great benefit that Christ resides with the Father. You see, we might read John 16, 7, as I said, and say, how in the world could it be to our advantage that you depart, Jesus? Calvin makes the observation, as faith recognizes, it is to our great benefit that Christ resides with the Father. He says, for having entered a sanctuary not made with hands, he appears before the Father's face as our constant advocate and intercessor. He says, thus He turns the Father's eyes to His own righteousness to avert His gaze from our sins. Now, just in case you missed that, let me read it again. He says, thus He turns the Father's eyes to His own righteousness to avert His gaze from our sins. We sing it. Five bleeding wounds he bears, received on Calvary's tree. They pour effectual prayers. They strongly plead for me. Forgive him, O forgive him, Lord. Forgive him, O forgive him, Lord. Forgive him, O forgive him, Lord. And let not that guilty sinner die. That's a benefit of the ascension and the current session. His enthronement at the right hand of the majesty of God on high. Calvin goes on to say, he so reconciles the Father's heart to us that by His intercession, He prepares a way and access for us to the Father's throne. He fills with grace and kindness the throne that for miserable sinners would otherwise have been filled with dread. This is what Paul speaks of in Hebrews chapter 4. I love this statement. He says, seeing then that we have a great high priest who has passed through the heavens, Ascension language. He has passed through the heavens. Jesus, the Son of God, let us hold fast our confession. For we do not have a high priest who cannot sympathize with our weaknesses, but was in all points tempted as we are, yet without sin. Let us therefore come boldly to the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy and find grace to help in time of need. Brethren, do not ever discount or forget the intercession or the advocacy of the Savior on your behalf. He always lives to make intercession for us. Somebody were to say to you this afternoon, where is so-and-so? Well, he's out doing this, or he's out doing that. We ask the question, where's Jesus? He's at the right hand of the Father, interceding for us. And then, finally, I've already mentioned, but we ought to recur, or rehearse it one more time. This is a promise of the Second Coming. A promise of the Second Coming. This is a practical benefit for the believer. We ought to think in terms of Jesus. He's glorified, or He's ascended, and He's glorified. That's going to be the pattern for us. We will die eventually, our bodies will go into the ground, our spirits will depart and be with Jesus, but when He comes again in glory, He will reunite body and soul together. We will stand before Him. He will find us not guilty, not because of what we've done, but because of everything He's done. And He will bring us up into that eternal kingdom. We will be glorified as it was with Him. So it will be with us. Brethren, encourage yourself with this. Bad as your life may be on earth right now, there is a day coming where you will go where there is no more sorrow, no more pain, where God himself, according to the book of Revelation, will wipe away the tears from our eyes. Isn't that beautiful? Every tear that we shed on this side of the grave, every death that we witness, every hardship we undergo, every problem we encounter in the New Jerusalem, they'll be gone, they'll be vanquished. There'll be no death in the New Jerusalem. There'll be no one lost as a result of cancer. There will be no one lost as a result of old age. There will be no one lost because they've all been blood-bought and they are preserved through eternity to worship the Father, the Son, and the Spirit. and unbeliever, you need to consider the reality that Christ is coming again to judge the world according to righteousness. The only way to flee wrath, the only way to flee hell, the only way to flee exclusion from His presence for all eternity, is to flee now to the cross, to believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, to look to that One who lived and who died and who rose again, You may say, well, this isn't important right now. It will be important. You will stand. You will face Him. You will even confess Him as Lord to the glory of God the Father. But then you will be excluded from His presence forever and cast into the place that the Bible describes as the hell that is prepared for the devil and his angels. There is one hope, there is one place for forgiveness, and that is the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ. Believe, and you will be saved. Well, let us pray. Father, we thank you for the Word of God. We thank you for the ascension of our beloved Savior to the right hand of the Majesty on high. We thank you as well that He will come again in glory to judge the living and the dead. My heart's prayer and earnest desire is that each and every one of us on that day would be clothed in His righteousness, that we would be ready to stand before the One who is the Judge of all the earth, that we would hear those most blessed words, enter into your rest. God be merciful, do what is impossible with men. We can plead, we can preach, we can call sinners to believe the Gospel, but with us it is impossible. It's impossible for them. We pray that you, Lord God, would open hearts and open eyes and give the graces of faith and repentance so that today's sinners may be saved. And we ask through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.