Sermons tagged #Ascension

Luke 24:36-53 – Christ Ascended to Empower – Sermon Outline Intro: Christ's resurrection brings peace, but it culminates in the ascension to glory in heaven before the Father. Christ is risen, ascended, and exalted in glory with the Father, and we are in Him/that blessedness. Need: Christ has ascended to empower His Church for the task He calls them to, to seek first the Kingdom of God & His righteousness here on Earth, empowered by Christ pouring out His Holy Spirit from Heaven. Theme: Christ has risen to give His people peace and has ascended to empower them for service. Christ proclaims peace to His disciples through His resurrection life. Christ opens the disciples' minds to understand and preach the Gospel. Christ ascends to pour out the promised Holy Spirit to empower the Gospel ministry.

Where He Ascended The Advantage for Us The Glory for Him Scripture: Hebrews 4 Psalters: 265, 326, 57, 130, 413

Luke, an eminent Ancient Near East historian, was the only Bible writer to take on this important task: he wrote about the life of Jesus, and he connected it to his account of the life of the church which Jesus ushered in. The end of Luke's gospel and the beginning of Acts is the connecting account. There, Jesus is about to ascend. He has already told them that he must go for the Spirit to descend. The promised descent of the Spirit of God would usher in the kingdom of God in a special way. The time of promise was to become the time of the church. In this gospel age, we who are Christ's are also baptized with the Holy Spirit, and although our role is slightly different from that of the apostles, we are like them endued with power from on high for the purpose of serving God.

The Lord brings His people near to His glory, savingly and safely through Christ—Whom He preached to His people through the sacrificial system.

Certainty of Christ's Exaltation: seen by Prophecy seen by Position

Acts 1:26 "And they gave forth their lots; and the lot fell upon Matthias; and he was numbered with the eleven apostles." King James Version

For the Spirit to be given, the Son must go. He ascends to his Father's right hand from the Mount of Olives. Luke records his going, taken up and carried away on a glory cloud. Luke depicts the apostles looking, gently rebuked by what we might conclude are angels for their posture. The same heavenly messengers speak of Christ's coming, his glorious return. These realities give us help in the present and hope for the future.

The Church of Christ remains in the earth to fulfill the Great Commission of Christ. We are to preach Christ Crucified. Declaring the redemption of God's chosen people by the bloody wounds of Christ for them. And we are to declare the good news of Christ's resurrection from the dead, which testifies of the satisfaction of God in Christ. We are witnesses of these things. The focus of John here is to show this commission given by Christ to his church. It also confirms to us that it's through the preaching of the gospel, that Christ visits his people and makes his word effectual to them through his Spirit of grace and regeneration. And so the Commission is continually being fulfilled by each successive generation to the praise and glory of our Lord and Savior.

Jesus has gone away; Jesus is coming back.

"If anyone loves me, he will keep my word, and my Father will love him, and we will come to him and make our home with him." (John 14:23)

"So when they had come together, they asked Jesus, "Lord, will you at this time restore the kingdom to Israel?" He said to them, "It is not for you to know times or seasons that the Father has fixed by his own authority. But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth." And when he had said these things, as they were looking on, he was lifted up, and a cloud took him out of their sight. 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."

Why does the Ascension of Christ matter so much? And what does it point to? Rev Paul Gibson preaches on Luke 24 v 51, "While he blessed them, he parted from them and was carried up into heaven."

What we believe about Jesus is foundational to everything else. We must know Who He is and what He has done.

At the Father's right hand is a place of honor, authority and acceptance.

10/01/2023 - Evening Service - He Ascended Into Heaven The Fact The Controversy The Advantage Lords Day 18 Read : Psalm 24: 3-5 Mark 16: 19-20 Luke 24: 50-53 Acts 1: 9-11 Eph 4: 10 Heb 4: 14 Heb 7: 26 Heb 9: 24 Psalter : 183, 129, 57, 302

The same author with the same audience and the same aim as in his Gospel begins his second volume, dealing with the continued acts of the risen Jesus by his Spirit through his apostles. Luke sets out his work and its scope, both connecting with his Gospel and continuing from it, showing that there was no ceasing of Christ's doing and teaching with his death, but rather—by his proven resurrection and subsequent ascension—he continues to do his Father's will as the kingdom comes.

The four statements of our text summarise the whole gospel.

Mark 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." King James Version

The Lord assures us that His consuming-fire glory is a blessing to us through the Word, resurrection, ascension, and Spirit of Jesus Christ.