BURNING
HEARTS: Igniting the Fire Inside
Today, April
26, 2015: “The Rise”
Our study on the BURNING
HEART brings us to the close of the book of Luke and to an event in the
life of Jesus and the Disciples that is not talked about very much: The
Ascension. For most of us the only time think about the Ascension is when we
pass a church has “Ascension” in its name!
I have never preached or taught on the Ascension… have
never heard a message about the Ascension itself; it is always connected to a
talk about the Day of Pentecost or the Second Coming… it is as if we just skip
right over it to get on to Pentecost…
Matthew and John don’t talk about it; Mark mentions
it, but does not give details. Luke doesn’t skip it! He is the only Gospel
writer to deal with it in detail, both in Luke 24 and in Acts 1…
It was
always on Luke’s mind.
Remember when we started going though the last few
chapters of Luke as part of our preparation for Easter? It was there, right in
front of us!
Luke 9:51 (NKJV) Now it came to pass, when the
time had come for Him to be received up, that He steadfastly set His face to go
to Jerusalem,
The Ascension
was always on Jesus’ mind; John tells us that…
John 6:61–62 (NKJV) When Jesus knew
in Himself that His disciples complained about this (eating His flesh and
drinking His blood), He said to them, “Does this offend you? 62 What then if
you should see the Son of Man ascend where He was before?
He was
longing for home!
John 7:33 (NKJV) Then Jesus said to them, “I
shall be with you a little while longer, and then I go to Him who sent Me.
John 13:1 (NKJV) Now before the Feast of the Passover,
when Jesus knew that His hour had come that He should depart from this world to
the Father, having loved His own who were in the world, He loved them to the
end.
John 16:28 (NKJV) I came forth
from the Father and have come into the world. Again, I leave the world and go
to the Father.”
John 17:5 (NKJV) And now, O Father, glorify Me
together with Yourself, with the glory which I had with You before the world
was.
John 20:17 (NKJV) Jesus said to
her, “Do not cling to Me, for I have not yet ascended to My Father; but go to
My brethren and say to them, ‘I am ascending to My Father and your Father, and
to My God and your God.’ ”
So let’s
take a closer look at the Ascension:
Luke 24:50–53 (NKJV) And He led
them out as far as Bethany, and He lifted up His hands and blessed them. 51 Now
it came to pass, while He blessed them, that He was parted from them and
carried up into heaven. 52 And they worshiped Him, and returned to Jerusalem
with great joy, 53 and were continually in the temple praising and blessing God.
Amen.
Acts 1:9–11 (NKJV) Now when He had spoken these things,
while they watched, He was taken up, and a cloud received Him out of their
sight. 10 And while they looked steadfastly toward heaven as He went up,
behold, two men stood by them in white apparel, 11 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.”
FIVE
QUESTIONS?
1. When was
it?
2. What was
it?
3. What does
it mean?
4. Why is it
important?
5. How do we
apply it?
1. When
was it?
When you read Mark 16 and Luke 24 you get the idea
that the Ascension occurred right after Jesus appeared in the Upper Room. Other
accounts give a little different view.
Matthew 28:9–10 (NKJV) And as they
went to tell His disciples, behold, Jesus met them, saying, “Rejoice!” So they
came and held Him by the feet and worshiped Him. 10 Then Jesus said to them,
“Do not be afraid. Go and tell My brethren to go to Galilee, and there they
will see Me.”
John 20 and 21 describes
many encounters with multiple disciples in multiple groups.
Acts 1:1–3 (NKJV) The former account I made, O
Theophilus, of all that Jesus began both to do and teach, 2 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, 3 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.
Other passages tell us even more…
1 Corinthians 15:3–8 (NKJV) For I delivered
to you first of all that which I also received: that Christ died for our sins
according to the Scriptures, 4 and that He was buried, and that He rose again
the third day according to the Scriptures, 5 and that He was seen by Cephas,
then by the twelve. 6 After that He was seen by over five hundred brethren at
once, of whom the greater part remain to the present, but some have fallen
asleep. 7 After that He was seen by James, then by all the apostles. 8 Then
last of all He was seen by me also, as by one born out of due time.
For some this is a problem of contradiction. But this
is not a contradiction. Suppose you were going to Dallas. You could say, “I am
leaving El Paso and will arrive in Dallas.” You may not mention that you stop
multiple times in between for various things. Each time you tell the story you
highlight different aspects of the trip depending on your purpose and audience.
Mark and Luke give us the beginning
and the end; the other passages gives us the details.
So in a nutshell…
Jesus rose from the dead; “presented Himself alive”
many times to many people; told His disciples to go to Galilee and He would
meet them there; Jesus taught His disciples about the kingdom of God; forty
days after the resurrection, Jesus and His disciples went to the Mount of Olives,
near Bethany; Jesus promised His followers that they would soon receive the
Holy Spirit; He instructed them to remain in Jerusalem until the Spirit had
come; Jesus blessed them; He began to ascend into heaven.
2. What
is it?
Jesus’ ascension was a literal, bodily return to
heaven. Jesus rose from the ground gradually and visibly, observed by many
intent onlookers. As the disciples watched, a cloud hid Him from their view,
and two angels appeared and promised Christ’s return “in just the same way that
you have watched Him go”. A fulfillment
of Daniel 7…
This cloud was not a cumulus cloud or a rain cloud, it
was the cloud of God’s Glory, His shekinah
glory, the manifest Presence of God! The same cloud that was on Mt. Sinai; the
same cloud that led Israel in the Wilderness; the same cloud that covered the
Tabernacle; the same cloud that covered the Mercy Seat in the Holy of Holies;
the same cloud that filled the Temple so that the priests could not stand to
minister; the same cloud that Daniel saw
in the night vision of the Son of Man; the same cloud that covered the Mount of
Transfiguration; the same cloud that will carry us away in the Rapture; the
same cloud that will accompany His return so that every eye shall behold Him!
Oh I want to live in the cloud of His Glory!
The Word was made flesh…
We are changed from glory to glory…
I will fill this house with glory…
Oh the Glory
of Your Presence…
3. What
does it mean?
A. He is
reigning for us!
Psalms 110:1 (NKJV) The LORD said to my Lord, “Sit at My right hand,
Till I make Your enemies Your footstool.”
Matthew 26:63–64 (NKJV) But Jesus
kept silent. And the high priest answered and said to Him, “I put You under
oath by the living God: Tell us if You are the Christ, the Son of God!” 64
Jesus said to him, “It is as
you said. Nevertheless, I say to you, hereafter you will see the Son of Man
sitting at the right hand of the Power, and coming on the clouds of heaven.”
Mark 16:19 (NKJV) So then, after
the Lord had spoken to them, He was received up into heaven, and sat down at
the right hand of God.
Acts 2:33–36 (NKJV) 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. 34 “For David
did not ascend into the heavens, but he says himself: ‘The Lord said to my
Lord, “Sit at My right hand, 35
Till I make Your enemies Your
footstool.” ’ 36 “Therefore let all the house of Israel
know assuredly that God has made this Jesus, whom you crucified, both Lord and
Christ.”
Acts 5:30–31 (NKJV) The God of our fathers raised up Jesus
whom you murdered by hanging on a tree. 31 Him God has exalted to
His right hand to be Prince and
Savior, to give repentance to Israel and forgiveness of sins.
Ephesians 1:19–23 (NKJV) and what is
the exceeding greatness of His power toward us who believe, according to the
working of His mighty power 20 which He worked in Christ when He raised Him
from the dead and seated Him at His right hand in the heavenly places, 21 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. 22 And He put
all things under His feet, and gave Him to be head over all things to the
church, 23 which is His body, the fullness of Him who fills all in all.
Philippians 2:9-11 (NKJV) Therefore God also has highly exalted
Him and given Him the name which is above every name, that at the name of Jesus
every knee should bow, of those in heaven, and of those on earth, and of those
under the earth, and that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is
Lord, to the glory of God the Father.
Hebrews 10:12 (NKJV) But this Man,
after He had offered one sacrifice for sins forever, sat down at the right hand
of God,
1 Peter 3:22 (NKJV) who has gone into heaven and is at the
right hand of God, angels and authorities and powers having been made subject
to Him.
B. He is interceding
for us!
Romans 8:34 (NKJV) Who is he who condemns? It is Christ
who died, and furthermore is also risen, who is even at the right hand of God,
who also makes intercession for us.
Hebrews 7:25 (NKJV) 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.
C. He is
intervening for us!
Hebrews 9:24 (NKJV) For Christ has not entered the holy
places made with hands, which are copies of the true, but into heaven itself,
now to appear in the presence of God for us;
1 John 2:1–2 (NKJV) My little children, these things I
write to you, so that you may not sin. And if anyone sins, we have an Advocate
with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous. 2 And He Himself is the
propitiation for our sins, and not for ours only but also for the whole world.
D. He is
empowering us!
Psalm 68:18 (NKJV) You have
ascended on high, You have led captivity captive; You have received gifts among
men, Even from the rebellious, That the LORD God might dwell there.
Ephesians 4:7–10 (NKJV) But to each one
of us grace was given according to the measure of Christ’s gift. 8 Therefore He
says: “When He ascended on high, He led captivity captive, And gave gifts to
men.” 9 (Now this, “He ascended”—what does it mean but that He also first
descended into the lower parts of the earth? 10 He who descended is also the
One who ascended far above all the heavens, that He might fill all things.)
4. Why is
it important?
It is part
of the story of the Gospel…
1 Timothy 3:16 (NKJV) And without
controversy great is the mystery of godliness: God was manifested in the flesh,
Justified in the Spirit, Seen by angels, Preached among the Gentiles, Believed
on in the world, Received up in glory.
As part of
the Gospel, it has eternal implications for us!
Colossians 3:1-4 (NKJV) If
then you were raised with Christ, seek those things which are above,
where Christ is, sitting at the right hand of God. Set your mind on things
above, not on things on the earth. For you died, and your life is hidden with
Christ in God. When Christ who is our life appears, then you also will appear
with Him in glory.
A. My past
is settled.
v3: For you died, and your life is hidden with Christ in
God.
B. My
present is safe.
v4a: When Christ who is our life appears,
C. My future
is secure.
v4b: Then you also will appear with Him in glory.
5. How do
I apply it?
How did the disciples apply it? What happened right after the event?
Luke 24:52-53 (NKJV) And they worshiped Him, and returned to Jerusalem
with great joy, and were continually in the temple praising and blessing God.
Amen.
Acts 1:12-14 (NKJV) Then they returned to Jerusalem from the
mount called Olivet, which is near Jerusalem, a Sabbath day’s journey. And when
they had entered, they went up into the upper room where they were staying:
Peter, James, John, and Andrew; Philip and Thomas; Bartholomew and Matthew;
James the son of Alphaeus and Simon the Zealot; and Judas the son of James.
These all continued with one accord in prayer and supplication, with the women
and Mary the mother of Jesus, and with His brothers. And in those days Peter
stood up in the midst of the disciples (altogether
A. They
worshipped.
B. They
obeyed with joy.
C. They went
to church.
D. They
prayed.
Hebrews 4:14–16 (NKJV) Seeing then
that we have a great High Priest who has passed through the heavens, Jesus the
Son of God, let us hold fast our confession. 15 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. 16 Let us therefore come boldly to the throne of grace,
that we may obtain mercy and find grace to help in time of need.
Jesus
overcame by looking to the Glory of the Ascension! So can we!
Hebrews 12:2 (NKJV) looking unto Jesus, the author and
finisher of our faith, who for
the joy that was set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has
sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.
