Ascension Day – Emmanuel Pentecostal Church Gateshead Resources

FRIDAY 22^nd– Hebrews 2:5-18

We continue with the subject of the Ascension of the Lord Jesus Christ. Yesterday we looked at several Scriptures that pointed to Jesus being seated at the right hand of God. I deliberately left one out to use today because it brings us to our third point concerning the ascension.

It led to the High Priestly Ministry of Jesus. Hebrews 8:1 ‘Now the point in what we are saying is this: we have such a high priest, one who is seated at the right hand of the throne of the Majesty in heaven.’

The whole of the redemption story should enthral us, the word enthral could be replaced with excite, capture, or captivate. It is such an amazing story but more important is the reality of its application in our hearts and in our lives. To be ‘saved’ means that we know this man Jesus as our Redeemer, Saviour. It means we belong to him and are found to be in him, Paul often uses the phrase ‘In Christ’, what a blessed position. But, knowing Jesus as our Saviour also means that he is also our Great High Priest. As our Great High Priest, he acts as an advocate in the presence of God on our behalf, he intercedes on our behalf. John, in his gospel tells us that ‘In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God . . . and the Word became flesh and dwelt among us.’ (John 1:1-2,14) God became a man in the Person of the Lord Jesus Christ and he lived as a man, he died as a man, he was raised as a man, he ascended as a man and he intercedes for us as a man. Paul reminds us in his letter to Timothy, ‘For there is one God, and there is one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus’ (1 Timothy 2:5) and what a great High Priest he is, he has presented himself to God as a sacrifice for our sin, he pleads in the presence of God on our behalf and he is a perfect intercessor because he has been where we are (yet without sin) and he is permanently sufficient for our eternal redemption. Hebrews 2:17-18 ‘Therefore he had to be made like his brothers in every respect, so that he might become a merciful and faithful high priest in the service of God, to make propitiation for the sins of the people. For because he himself has suffered when tempted, he is able to help those who are being tempted.’

4. It means that Jesus can come again! Jesus promised his disciples in his final week with them that he was going to prepare a place for them and that he would come again and receive them so that they could be where he was. (John 14:1-3) On the day of his ascension, after Jesus was taken up, and while the disciples looked up into heaven the Scripture tells us ‘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.’ (Acts 1:10-11)

For Jesus to be able to fulfil his promise to the disciples about coming again, he would have to go or leave them, and on Ascension Day, that is what he did – he went, and where to? Up into heaven, into the presence of his Father. And because he has gone, it means not only can he come again, but that he will come again, first to the clouds to receive those who are ‘in Christ’, that is both the living and the dead, to take into his presence (1 Thessalonians 4:13-18) but also to stand once again on the mount of Olives from where he will establish his millennial kingdom upon the earth. (Zechariah 14:4)

There is a man in the glory, he has been given a name which is above every name, he is crowned with glory and honour, he is seated at the right hand of the Majesty on high, he is interceding on our behalf and one day he will come and call us into his presence.

The Ascension is so important, it VERIFIES what Christ has done, for as he ascends the Father receives him back into his presence with a resounding ‘well done.’ It VINDICATES what he has done, for his victory is a permanent once for all-time victory, it VOUCHES for the future, we have a hope that is steadfast and sure.

Jesus is king and I will extol him

Give Him the glory, and honour His name

He reigns on high, enthroned in the heavens

Word of the Father, exalted for us

We have a hope that is steadfast and certain

Gone through the curtain and touching the throne

We have a Priest who is there interceding

Pouring His grace on our lives day by day

We come to Him, our Priest and Apostle

Clothed in His glory and bearing His name

Laying our lives with gladness before Him

Filled with His Spirit we worship the King

O Holy One, our hearts do adore You

Thrilled with Your goodness we give You our praise

Angels in light with worship surround Him

Jesus, our Saviour, forever the same

^{Wendy Churchill}^©^{1981 Springtide/Word Music/ CopyCare CCLI788682}

THURSDAY 21^st– Mark 16:19, Luke 24:50-51, Acts 1:9-11

Today, Thursday 21st is known as Ascension Day in the Church calendar, as we can see from the readings, it is the day we recall when Jesus ascended back into heaven. He had come to provide redemption for mankind, his mission had been accomplished and he was returning to his Father.

Before lockdown, I mentioned while speaking on one occasion that I would look at the subject of the ascension when the time came, well, it has arrived and so I will put the thoughts down here in a simple study with Scriptures over two days for you to explore further.

We get used to remembering and celebrating Christmas, Easter and Pentecost every year, but non – conformist Churches (that is those who don’t conform to the Anglican or Roman Catholic tradition) can easily forget the important dates within the Church calendar because we don’t follow a set liturgy or lexicon.

Ascension Day is one of those days often overlooked or quickly passed over, but it is important within the context of the life, ministry, and work of the Lord Jesus Christ and his provision of salvation for lost humanity.

If he descended to be born as a babe in Bethlehem, and to die as a sacrifice for the sin of the world, and if he accomplished the sacrifice by being buried and raised from the dead then the moment he ascended back into his Fathers presence is important. I have used the word ‘if’ at the beginning of the last statement but we know that he did, he did descend, he did die, he did rise again from the dead, he did accomplish his Fathers will and as we see from our texts he did ascend back into heaven. This is all good news. When Jesus cried on the cross ‘it is finished’ he knew that he had accomplished all that was necessary to reconcile man back to God.

Here I will give some reasons why the ascension is important.

It led to his exaltation and his being glorified.

Acts 2:32-33a ‘This Jesus God raised up, and of that we all are witnesses. Being therefore exalted at the right hand of God . . .’

Philippians 2:9-11 ‘Therefore God has highly exalted him and bestowed on him the name that is above every name, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.’

Because of his obedience he has received what is rightfully his, the exalted position with a name which is above every other name and as the King of kings and the Lord of Lords.

David portrays the exaltation or the arrival of Jesus back into heaven in Psalm 24:7-10 ‘Lift up your heads, O gates! And be lifted up, O ancient doors, that the King of glory may come in. Who is this King of glory? The LORD, strong and mighty, the LORD, mighty in battle! Lift up your heads, O gates! And lift them up, O ancient doors, that the King of glory may come in. Who is this King of glory? The LORD of hosts, he is the King of glory!’

The ascension is good news, it means the sacrifice Christ made on our behalf has been accepted, it means that the grave is empty, and the throne has become occupied! The following Scriptures remind us where Christ has been exalted to:

Ephesians 1:20 ‘That he worked in Christ when he raised him from the dead and seated him at his right hand in the heavenly places.’

Colossians 3:1 ‘If then you have been raised with Christ, seek the things that are above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God.’

Hebrews 1:3-4 ‘He is the radiance of the glory of God and the exact imprint of his nature, and he upholds the universe by the word of his power. After making purification for sins, he sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on high, having become as much superior to angels as the name he has inherited is more excellent than theirs.’

Hebrews 10:12 ‘But when Christ had offered for all time a single sacrifice for sins, he sat down at the right hand of God.’

Hebrews 12:2 ‘Looking to Jesus, the founder and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is seated at the right hand of the throne of God.’

1 Peter 3:21-22 . . . 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.’

It led to the sending of the promised Holy Spirit.

Act2:33b ‘Being therefore exalted at the right hand of God, and having received from the Father the promise of the Holy Spirit, he has poured out this that you yourselves are seeing and hearing.’

In John 7 when Jesus had gone up to the Festival of Tabernacles it says that ‘on the last day of the feast, the great day, Jesus stood up and cried out, ‘If anyone thirsts let him come to me and drink . . . Now this he said about the Spirit . . . for as yet the Spirit had not been given, because Jesus was not yet glorified.’ (vv37-39) Jesus needed to ascend and to be glorified before the Holy Spirit could be sent to the waiting believers in the upper room.

In John 14 in conversation with his disciples, Jesus said, ‘I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Comforter / Helper, even the Spirit of truth . . .’ (John 14:16-17) Once he had ascended, and been exalted and glorified, he asked his Father and there on the Day of Pentecost, the Spirit arrived. (See also John 16:7 ‘Nevertheless, I tell you the truth: it is to your advantage that I go away, for if I do not go away, the Helper will not come to you. But if I go, I will send him to you.’)

Tomorrow we will look at some more reasons for the importance of the Ascension, it means we have a Great High Priest acting on our behalf in heaven and if he has returned to the Father, then it means that according to his promise, he will come again!

He is exalted

The King is exalted on high

I will praise Him

He is exalted, forever exalted

And I will praise His name

He is the Lord

Forever His truth shall reign

Heaven and earth

Rejoice in His holy name

He is exalted

The King is exalted on high

^{Twila Paris CCLI788682}