Grace Church
257 Kendall Street
Burlington, WI 53105

(262) 763-3021

A Friend in High Places Acts 1:1-11 We Believe Sermon Series #11 Where is Jesus? That question was asked of a pastoral candidate for ordination. An older preacher asked the young man, “Where is Jesus?” The candidate responded, “In our hearts.” “No! I mean where is Jesus right now?” The candidate was uncertain what the man wanted, but he ventured another answer, “when we pray He is in our midst.” Again, came the answer, “No! Where is Jesus right now?” The poor young guy was flabbergasted and said something to diffuse the tension like, “I wish He were here right now.” The old man responded, “Well, I don’t know what they are teaching you young people in seminaries today, but when I went to school we learned, Jesus ascended into heaven and sitteth on the right hand of God the Father.” We, of course, recognize those words as being from the Apostle’s Creed. “Jesus ascended into heaven and sitteth on the right hand of God the Father Almighty.” Yet this is one of the most neglected statements in the Apostles’ Creed and also one of the most neglected areas of Christian doctrine. Even though we believe in the ascension of Christ, we tend not to think about it very much, at least when compared to the death and resurrection of our Lord. I doubt that most of you have ever heard a sermon on Christ’s ascension. I know that I haven’t. Although we would never say it this way, perhaps the ascension just doesn’t seem quite as important to us. We know that Jesus died for our sins and rose from the dead for our salvation, and we know that we couldn’t be saved without Good Friday or Easter Sunday. So where does the ascension fit in? To many people it seems like a P.S. to the main message of the gospel, perhaps a convenient way for Christ to go back to heaven. But does it really matter today? Is it essential to our Christian faith? Then, we face some difficulties when we consider the ascension of our Lord. The event itself is only briefly mentioned in Mark, Luke and Acts. By contrast both the crucifixion and the resurrection are described by all four gospel writers in great detail. Also, because the event itself is so unusual, it is difficult for us to visualize exactly what happened. Yet it is rare to find someone who doubts the ascension of Christ. While vigorous apologetic debates have raged around the resurrection, the ascension is not a topic of much discussion. Perhaps most people don’t think about it enough either to doubt it or to debate it. Yet a quick glance at Church history tells us that there is more here than meets the eye. For one thing, every major Christian creed includes the ascension of Christ. You will find it in the Apostles’ Creed, the Nicene Creed, and the Athanasian Creed. The liturgical calendar always includes Ascension Day—always on a Thursday—always 40 days after Easter. Both the event and doctrine behind it are highly biblical. They are also very encouraging. Because of the ascension, you and I have A Friend in High Places. Jesus Christ is in heaven waiting for us to come Home. Remember He promised in John 14, “In my Father's house are many rooms...I am going there to prepare a place for you” (14:2). But there’s a lot more, some great encouraging doctrinal truths that we want to consider this morning. 1. Jesus’ Ascension. One day when George MacDonald, the great Scottish preacher and writer, was talking with his son, the conversation turned to heaven and the prophets’ version of the end of all things. “It seems too good to be true,” the son said at one point. A smile crossed MacDonald’s whiskered face. “Nay,” he replied, “It is just so good it must be true!”   Jesus’ ascension proves that heaven is real. The often‑neglected ascension of Christ is absolutely crucial. It would have been unthinkable to have a Christ who was simply incarnated. It would be dreadful to think of a Christ who was simply crucified if Christ had simply been raised from the dead and stayed around here and died a natural death. That wouldn’t have been very helpful. His ascension was vital, and His ultimate glorification restores Him to the place that He had before He accepted responsibility for our redemption. The ascension narratives describe an event that is clearly designed to show the disciples that Jesus went to a real place. He did not suddenly disappear from them, never to be seen by them again, but gradually ascended as they were watching, and then a cloud took Him from their sight. The ascension was a glorious event. Our Lord disappeared into a cloud, not into the clouds. It’s possible that this cloud was no ordinary cloud, but rather a manifestation of the Shekinah glory, even as it took place in the transfiguration. The fact that Jesus had a resurrection body that was subject to spatial limitations (it could be at only one place at one time) means that Jesus went somewhere when He ascended into heaven. It is surprising that even some evangelical theologians hesitate to affirm that heaven is a place or that Jesus ascended to a definite location somewhere in the space‑time universe. Admittedly we cannot now see where Jesus is, but that is not because He passed into some incorporeal “state of being” that has no location at all in the space‑time universe, but rather because our eyes are unable to see the unseen spiritual world that exists all around us. There arc angels around us, but we simply cannot see them because our eyes do not have that capacity. Elisha was surrounded by an army of angels and chariots of fire protecting him from the Syrians at Dothan, but Elisha’s servant was not able to see those angels until God opened his eyes so that he could see things that existed in that spiritual dimension (2 Kings 6:17). When Stephen was dying, God gave him a special ability to see the world that is now hidden from our eyes, for he “gazed 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” (Acts 7:55-56).   Obviously, we cannot now say exactly where heaven is. Scripture often pictures people as ascending up into heaven (as Jesus did, and Elijah) or coming down from heaven (as the angels in Jacob s dream), so we’re justified in thinking of heaven as somewhere "above" the earth. Admittedly the earth is round and it rotates, so where heaven is we are simply unable to say more precisely. Scripture simply does not tell us. But the repeated emphasis on the fact that Jesus went somewhere, and the fact that the New Jerusalem will come down out of heaven from God (Rev. 21:2), all indicate that there is clearly a localization of heaven in the space‑time universe. Those who do not believe Scripture may scoff at such an idea and wonder how it can be so, just as the first Russian cosmonaut who came back from space and declared that he did not see God or heaven anywhere. But that simply points to the blindness of their hearts and eyes to the unseen spiritual world. It does not indicate that heaven does not exist in a certain place. In fact, the ascension of Jesus into heaven is designed to teach us that heaven does exist as a place in the space‑time universe. And so we affirm that we believe in Jesus Christ who ascended into heaven and is seated at the right hand of God the Father Almighty. 2. Jesus’ Authority. This is also the most political statement in the Creed. It affirms that there are no other kings, no other presidents, no other leaders. No other nation or political philosophy, nor any other group or person is Lord. One and one alone rules, Jesus the Christ who sits at the right hand of God the Father Almighty. In the ancient world, when a king wished to honor someone, he offered them a seat at his right hand. That seat was the highest seat, the greatest honor, and the supreme glory the king could confer on anyone. What does it mean to say that our Lord is now seated at the Father’s right hand?   A) It means that He has a permanent place in heaven. When He returned in triumph, He was given a permanent place next to the Father’s throne. Our Lord didn’t have to search for a seat in heaven. When He arrived, there was a seat with His name on it (so to speak). That seat at the Father’s right hand is His forever.   B) It means that His work of redemption is now complete. While Jesus was on the earth, He spoke often of “the work” of the Father (John 4:34; 9:4; 17:4). His work came to a climax when He hung on the cross, bearing the sins of the world. Just before He died, Christ shouted out, “It is finished,” which literally means “paid in full.” The work was done; the debt was paid. I can never be charged with the guilt of my sins because Jesus paid it all. The ascension signifies that the Father has accepted the work of His Son. Since God has accepted Christ, nothing more can be added to what He did when He died on the cross and rose from the dead. In the Old Testament tabernacle and again in the temple of Solomon, beautiful furniture was to be found in the holy place and in the Holy of Holies: the table for shewbread, the altar of incense, the great seven‑pronged candelabra and, within the Holy of Holies, the ark of the covenant with the glorious golden cherubim. But nowhere, either in the tabernacle or the temple, was there any chair or bench. Why? Because the work was never done. “These priests, continually ministering, offered sacrifices day after day for sin.” The sacrifices had to be continually repeated, for it was impossible for the blood of bulls and goats to take away sin. But Jesus, having offered one sacrifice for sins forever, sat down because it was done. It was finished! It was over! So few people seem to understand the simple fact that Christianity is not "do." It is "done." Jesus declared it: It is done! It is paid! It is finished! Tetelestai! It is accomplished! The atonement for our sins was paid in full and we can do nothing to add to it. I recall reading once of a master wood craftsman who had decided to make for his friend a beautiful coffee table. He spent months constructing it, carving all manner of intricate designs around the side of the table, and then finishing the surface with seventeen coats of finish. It glistened so that you could practically see your face in it. He wrapped it in a soft cloth and brought it to his friend and then carefully removed the cloth. "Voilã!" he said. "There it is! Your long‑anticipated gift!" It was a thing of consummate beauty. But his friend said, "Oh, I think it is just magnificent, but I couldn’t simply accept it as a gift. You have done all the work. Surely I must do my part." And with that, he picked up a piece of sandpaper and started to sand the top of the table. His friend grasped his wrist and said, "Stop that! You’ll ruin it all. It is finished!" That’s the way it is with the great redemption wrought by Christ. It is done! It is finished! It is perfect! He sat down. There is nothing that we can add. There is nothing that we can contribute, as if there were anything that we had to contribute. There obviously is also nothing that we have to offer, for every day of our life, every page in the book of our life, is stained with sin. Every contribution that we make is really a detraction. On the other hand, nothing is needed, because it is perfect. What can you add to infinity? Christ suffered infinitely upon the cross and paid an infinite price. There is nothing that needs to be added. And if there were, neither you nor I has it to offer. That’s why Christ sat down at the right hand of His Father.   C) It means that all authority is His. “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to Me” (Mt. 28:18). His sitting down at the right hand of God speaks of His authority. It is the place of greatest privilege and the place of greatest authority. Hebrews 1:13 says, “To which of the angels did God ever say, ‘Sit at my right hand until I make your enemies a footstool for your fee’?” This is a quote from Psalm 68 and tells us that Christ in the glory right now is waiting until His enemies are made his footstool. Ancient conquerors, to demonstrate their total triumph over their vanquished foes, would prostrate them before them and then put their feet on their necks. Here you have a picture of all the enemies of God and all the enemies of Christ being required to be prostrated before Christ and become His footstool. The believer who confesses belief in the ascension of Christ and Him sitting at the right hand of God is really saying, "I believe Christ is glorified as He ought to be for the work that He has done but I also believe that He has ultimate authority, that all His enemies will be subdued by Him." This is good news for believers, because all His enemies are our enemies too. Think of sin. Think of death. Think of hell. Think of Satan. Think of all the evil you can and realize it’s only a matter of time until all these things line up as His footstool when His ultimate, final, irrevocable and universal triumph is seen by all. At that point, every mouth will confess He truly is Lord and every knee will bow and confess His lordship. That is the picture being conveyed of His authority.  When we say we believe in Christ ascending into heaven and sitting at the right hand of God the Father Almighty, we're talking about His glorification and His place of ultimate, final, irrevocable authority. His authority in practice means that He is in charge of all powers. It means that He has a title greater than all titles. It means that He is Generalissimo, supreme, numero uno. David Thorson, an English preacher, makes this point well, "This is God s world, and He wants it back, and He’s told us to get it for him." I find that very invigorating. But you see, I meet a lot of people who don’t believe this is God’s world, so they have no concept of Him wanting it back. They’re not remotely interested in being involved in getting it back for Him. The question I want to ask you is this: When you say that you believe that Christ ascended into heaven and is seated at the right hand of God the Father Almighty, whose world do you believe this is? Do you believe that His is the ultimate authority, that it is His world? If so, it’s in a shambles, and He wants it back. The question is, Who’s going to get it for Him? And the answer is that He is not only over all powers and over all authorities, but He is the head of the Church, and the Church is to be the medium through which Christ gets His world back. Immediately this becomes very practical. Suddenly I’m not simply reciting a dull creed; I am capturing the excitement of what it means to believe that I am part of the Church of which Christ is the head. The Church’s function is, under His headship, to be the means of getting His world back for Him so that His authority can be clearly demonstrated and His glory acknowledged. Unfortunately, our concept of the Church is often considerably smaller than that. The Church seems to be what we call "our church." I hear people talking about "our church," and "our church" this and "our church" that and then they talk about "your church." It absolutely, emphatically is not mine, and I don’t want it; it’s His. You see, if it was mine, it would be mine to direct and mine to control and mine to govern. And if it was yours, it would be yours to direct and yours to govern and yours to simply do what you want it to do. But it isn’t mine, it isn’t yours, and it isn’t anybody else’s. It’s His. And He, seated at the right hand of the Father, with ultimate authority committed to Him, with this world, His by right, He wants it back. And He is bent on getting His Church to be the means of getting it back for Him. That’s what we’re all about. So when we think in terms of the ascended Lord, we begin to think of something essentially practical, powerful, and exciting in our lives. 3. Jesus’ Activity. General Robert E. Lee said that one of the hardest things a commander can do is to send soldiers into battle, knowing that many will be killed. He said it’s like ordering the destruction of the thing you love the most.   In essence, Jesus did just that on His day of Ascension. He sent His disciples to bring the Good News to a hostile world where people would brutally oppose them. But because He ascended, we know that our faith is something worth living for and dying for. Jesus continues to carry out His work in and through us. Thankfully, the bringing about of God’s Kingdom isn’t totally up to us; the promised Holy Spirit empowers our mission. Jesus has left the keys of His Kingdom in our hands. But what is Jesus doing right now?  A) He has sent the Holy Spirit into the world. Just before Jesus ascended and left this world, He promised His disciples, “And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age” (Mt. 28:20). But how could He always be with them when He was leaving? Jesus assured His disciples that though He was present to them in a limited way while in the flesh, when He left them He would fill them with His presence in a more powerful and complete sense. In John 16:7 Jesus told them, “But I tell you the truth: It is for your good that I am going away. Unless I go away, the Counselor will not come to you; but if I go, I will send Him to you.” He consoles them for His bodily absence, saying that He will come to them again in an invisible but more desirable way (John 14:18‑9; 16:14). His reason for sending His Spirit into the world is that the Holy Spirit is the dynamic that equates to all the demands of God. Let me explain what I mean by that. God has laid great demands on individual Christians and on the corporate body of believers, the Church. And we are totally overwhelmed by the immensity of these demands. We can’t live the way that we’re supposed to live. The Church can’t be what it’s supposed to be. We’re a bunch of sinners, and the Church is made up exclusively of sinners. How can we possibly do all that He demands of us? And the answer is, through the Holy Spirit. God doesn’t just make demands of us; He sends His Spirit, and He begins to empower individual believers and the corporate whole. So whenever you see a Christian who professes to believe in the Christ Who’s ascended and seated at the Father’s right hand, you can expect to see a powerful Christian, empowered by the Spirit the ascended Lord is sending to his or her life.  B) He is gifting His Church. Ephesians 4:7 tells us that Jesus Christ has “gifted” every believer, “to each one of us grace has been given as Christ apportioned it.” His Church, empowered by the Holy Spirit, is made up of people with gifts, spiritual abilities that the Holy Spirit gives, through Christ, to every believer. Each gifted person then becomes God’s gift to the world through the Church.   The ascended Christ has gifted every believer so that he or she becomes a precious resource for the Church. That precious gift to the Church is involved in bringing the Church to maturity, helping it to grow, and equipping everybody to do the work of ministry. Ultimately believers, gifted by the risen Lord, give to the Church and become a gift to the world, and that’s you and that’s me. Please don’t say that you are not gifted because if you are part of the Church, you have been gifted by Jesus Christ.   C) He is representing the Redeemed. Jesus Christ is our defense attorney in Heaven. In Romans 8:34, Paul asks, “Who is he that condemns? Christ Jesus, who died–more than that, who was raised to life–is at the right hand of God and is also interceding for us.” There’s a great question here: Who is going to condemn Christians? And the answer is, lots of people. Do you ever get criticized? No! Do I ever get criticized? No! Do people ever give you or me a hard time because of what we do? No! Everybody pats us on the back all the time, right? Wrong! There are all kinds of people who will take every opportunity to point out all our failures and all our faults. But the good news is this: Now seated at the Father’s right hand is the personal representative of all of the redeemed. Jesus Christ speaks well of you, and represents you before the Father. This is wonderful news! At the Cross Jesus closed sin’s account. If you have believed in Jesus, your sin account has been closed forever! Quit beating yourself up. You have received the righteousness of Christ! And now Jesus represents you as a believer before the Father. Perhaps you’ve thought, “How can I be saved if I continue to sin? Doesn’t sin disqualify my salvation?” John dealt with this when he wrote, “My dear children, I write this to you so that you will not sin. But if anybody does sin, we have One who speaks to the Father in our defense–Jesus Christ, the Righteous One” (1 Jn. 2:1). When you and I sin, the Lord Jesus defends us in that He has already paid for ALL of our sin. Our salvation cannot be lost because of Jesus’ death, resurrection, and continuing ministry before the Father! You have a representative in Washington. You may have never seen him. If you have seen him, you’ve probably never talked to him. If you talked to him, he probably didn’t take any notice of you. He was elected, and he will be there until they elect somebody else in his place. The representative of the redeemed, Who is in the immediate presence of the Father, was not elected; He is there by divine right. He has completed His glorified journey. He represents you before the Father. He is the ascended, glorified, totally authoritative Lord!    D) He is praying for the Redeemed. Hebrews 7:25 tells us that He lives to pray for us, He intercedes for us with the Father. The word “intercede” means to speak up on behalf of someone else. Christ is now in heaven praying for us. What a marvelous thought this is—and what a balm for troubled souls. When I am down in the dumps, Jesus prays for me. When I falter under the load, Jesus prays for me. When my faith gives way, Jesus prays for me. When I fight a losing battle against temptation, Jesus prays for me. There’s even more than that. Often when I am asked to pray for someone, I can’t seem to find the appropriate words and I feel as if my prayers are in vain. But Jesus in heaven comes alongside, takes my pitiful prayers and transforms them into powerful petitions before the throne of God. When I can’t pray, when the words won’t come, Jesus prays for me. Hebrews 7 adds the encouraging thought that because Jesus lives forever, He intercedes forever, which is why we are saved forever. In the Old Testament, the priests kept dying. The good ones died and the bad ones died. Just about the time you got used to a certain high priest, he died and another man took his place. But since Jesus lives forever, we can be certain that He never stops praying for us. And because He never stops praying for us, He saves us completely, to the very end. Conclusion: Do you handle good-byes well? One of my saddest and toughest was a few years ago when we put Charity on a plane to Brazil for a short-term missions trip. Boy, that was tough on me! It was a teary, sad moment. Something that sticks out though in Jesus’ ascension is that we are told that after He left them, His disciples “returned to Jerusalem with great joy” (Luke 24:52). Why? Because His ascension inaugurated a time of even greater intimacy with Him through the ministry of the Holy Spirit. Let me close with this thought. Because of the ascension, we may rest assured that Christianity is true. God has accepted Him and because God accepted Him, He will accept all those who trust in Him. Because He is safe in heaven, we will someday be safe in heaven. We will be where He now is. The ascension shows us how we should spend our life, looking up. The story is told of a little boy who went outside on a windy spring day to fly his new kite. As the wind blew, the kite flew higher and higher until it finally disappeared from view in the clouds far above. After a few minutes a bystander asked, “How do you know the kite is still attached to the string?” “I can feel it tugging on the string,” the boy replied. The same is true for us today. Christ is pulling us toward heaven. He is pulling us away from the earth toward our eternal home. We may not see Him with our eyes but we feel His tug in our hearts through faith. We know where He is and we know that where He is, we will someday be. Every day Jesus tugs on our hearts, pulling us up toward heaven so that when we finally get there, we won’t feel like strangers. One day soon the Lord will give us one final tug and we’ll end up in heaven forever. Until then, let the people of God rejoice. Christ has conquered! He has won the victory and defeated every foe. This is what we mean when we say, “He ascended into heaven and sits at the right hand of God the Father Almighty.” Amen.