The Ascension of Jesus
Luke 24:50-53
April 18, 2021
This morning we come to the conclusion of the Gospel of Luke.
Luke, who set out to record an accurate historical account
Of all that Jesus did for the benefit of the most excellent Theophilus.
Luke 1:1-4 “Inasmuch as many have undertaken to compile an account of the things accomplished among us, just as they were handed down to us by those who from the beginning were eyewitnesses and servants of the word, it seemed fitting for me as well, having investigated everything carefully from the beginning, to write it out for you in consecutive order, most excellent Theophilus; so that you may know the exact truth about the things you have been taught.”
And now, having carried us through
• The birth of Jesus
• The ministry of Jesus
• The miracles of Jesus
• The death of Jesus
• And the resurrection of Jesus,
• Luke now concludes his gospel with THE ASCENSION OF JESUS.
Luke reveals
The One who came from heaven as the One now returning there.
Only Luke is afforded the privilege
Of recording for us the ascension of Jesus, and he records it twice.
He records it here and again in his sequel known as the book of Acts.
And so THIS MORNING we bring our study of Luke’s gospel to a close
With the remarkable ascension of Jesus.
In many ways we might discuss the ascension
Like we discussed THE BURIAL of Jesus.
Like the burial, the ascension is one of those realities
That can at times be a bit overlooked.
It is not often referred to as a part of the gospel message,
And yet, as with everything Jesus did, it is CERTAINLY IMPORTANT.
AND THIS MORNING WE WANT TO EXAMINE IT.
To get us started, I will simply say this to you.
The ascension is all about the exalted Christ
And our worship of Him.
In many ways the ascension is actually
THE FITTING CONCLUSION TO THE INCARNATION.
• In the incarnation God became man and dwelled among us, in the ascension man who is also God ascends to dwell in heaven.
• In the incarnation Jesus was humbled, in the ascension He is exalted.
• In the incarnation Jesus came to serve, in the ascension He goes to reign.
It is the fitting and closing chapter to the earthly ministry of Jesus.
The One who came to identify with us
And suffer and ultimately die on the cross
Is now raised and returns to the glory of Heaven
Where He belongs.
Jesus finally begins to receive the glory He deserves.
This morning as we study the text,
1. We are going to EXAMINE what Luke says about it,
2. But we are also going to take a moment and EXPLORE some of the glorious realities regarding His ascension and why it is important to you and me.
So let’s look at our text this morning.
#1 THE ASCENSION
Luke 24:50-51
It is really a simple and straightforward announcement.
It actually comes to us with a great deal of UNDERSTATEMENT,
As do many of the things accomplished by Jesus.
Here we have Jesus literally begin to rise up in the air until He disappears in the clouds, but Luke doesn’t really seek to build it up.
He just mentions it almost like this is normal behavior.
And it is anything but.
• Aside from Jesus we only know of 2 in the history of the world.
• God took Enoch and Elijah ascended.
• Both of those, by the way, were prefigures to the ascension of Jesus.
• And one day all those alive during the rapture will also ascend to meet Christ
in the air.
• In that way the ascension of Christ is a sort of first fruit.
It is anything but routine.
It is anything but normal.
And Luke just sort of casually mentions it.
What I want to do first this morning is
Just give you some THEOLOGICAL IMPLICATIONS to the ascension.
I want you to understand WHAT it means
And WHAT it teaches you and WHY it is important.
So for a few minutes this morning,
Let’s just talk about the ascension is important.
1) THE ASCENSION CERTIFIES HIS MINISTRY
More specifically Jesus Himself said that
The ascension would serve as a sort of proof
That He really did come from heaven as the Savior of the world.
TURN TO: JOHN 6
• John 6 of course begins with the feeding of the 5,000
• It was such an astounding event that people wanted to make Jesus King right then and there.
• Jesus however alluded them.
• That night He walked on water to the other side of the sea.
• The next morning the crowd searched for Him and found Him.
Jesus knew why they wanted Him.
(6:25-26) “When they found Him on the other side of the sea, they said to Him, “Rabbi, when did You get here?” Jesus answered them and said, “Truly, truly, I say to you, you seek Me, not because you saw signs, but because you ate of the loaves and were filled.”
Jesus knew what they wanted.
• They weren’t looking for a Savior.
• They weren’t looking for a Messiah.
• They were looking for another meal.
And Jesus sought to turn their focus
Away from physical things to spiritual things.
(6:32-33) “Jesus then said to them, “Truly, truly, I say to you, it is not Moses who has given you the bread out of heaven, but it is My Father who gives you the true bread out of heaven. “For the bread of God is that which comes down out of heaven, and gives life to the world.”
Jesus wanted them to understand that the real blessing of God
Is not that physical life could be supernaturally supplied
But that spiritual life could be supernaturally supplied.
People seek bread to sustain physical life.
Jesus spoke of a bread that gives spiritual life.
And of course they totally miss the point,
So Jesus finally has to speak frankly to them.
(6:35) “Jesus said to them, “I am the bread of life; he who comes to Me will not hunger, and he who believes in Me will never thirst.”
And not just the bread which gives spiritual life,
But specifically the bread which God sent from heaven.
(6:38) “For I have come down from heaven, not to do My own will, but the will of Him who sent Me.”
The Jews did not like this insulation at all.
(6:41) “Therefore the Jews were grumbling about Him, because He said, “I am the bread that came down out of heaven.”
So Jesus affirms it again.
(6:50-51) “This is the bread which comes down out of heaven, so that one may eat of it and not die. “I am the living bread that came down out of heaven; if anyone eats of this bread, he will live forever; and the bread also which I will give for the life of the world is My flesh.”
There it is again.
Jesus reminds that He in fact came from heaven
As spiritual nourishment from God
That He might give life to the world.
(And from there He also spoke about the necessity of eating this bread.)
But the debate culminates in unbelief.
(6:60-62) “Therefore many of His disciples, when they heard this said, “This is a difficult statement; who can listen to it?” But Jesus, conscious that His disciples grumbled at this, said to them, “Does this cause you to stumble? “What then if you see the Son of Man ascending to where He was before?”
OK, SO THERE YOU HAVE YOUR FIRST POINT.
We have people here who doubt the entire purpose and mission of Jesus.
• They doubt that He came from heaven
• They doubt that He was sent from God
• They doubt that He can give spiritual life
• They reject the necessity of eating His sacrifice
And the proof Jesus offers is nothing less than His ascension.
He says, “What then if you see the Son of Man ascending to where He was before?”
And so we understand then that even Jesus recognized that
His ascension would be a sort of affirmation of His entire ministry.
One of the reasons we know He came from God is because
When His ministry was finished He returned to God.
The ascension actually certifies His entire earthly ministry.
JESUS WAS FROM GOD.
There’s more that we learn from the ascension.
2) THE ASCENSION CONFIRMS HIS REIGN
That is to say that “The ascension is nothing less than
Jesus ascending to sit at God’s right hand to reign over the universe.”
Psalms 110:1 “The LORD says to my Lord: “Sit at My right hand Until I make Your enemies a footstool for Your feet.”
This was a prophecy of David regarding Christ.
• That God would exalt Him to His own right hand
• And would grant Him sovereign authority to bring all His enemies under His control.
We remember what Paul said:
1 Corinthians 15:22-25 “For as in Adam all die, so also in Christ all will be made alive. But each in his own order: Christ the first fruits, after that those who are Christ’s at His coming, then comes the end, when He hands over the kingdom to the God and Father, when He has abolished all rule and all authority and power. For He must reign until He has put all His enemies under His feet.”
Paul says that Christ must reign until He conquers all of His enemies.
He must reign until every enemy is destroyed.
Well how do we know that Jesus is doing that?
TURN TO: ACTS 2
• Acts 2 is of course the story of the birth of the church.
• It is Pentecost
• It is when the Holy Spirit came to believers.
• And you remember the sermon Peter preached as he answered those who supposed they were all drunk.
• Peter reminded that Christ had been crucified and was raised.
But remember what else Peter had to say:
(2:32-36) “This Jesus God raised up again, to which we are all witnesses. “Therefore having been exalted to the right hand of God, and having received from the Father the promise of the Holy Spirit, He has poured forth this which you both see and hear. “For it was not David who ascended into heaven, but he himself says: ‘THE LORD SAID TO MY LORD, “SIT AT MY RIGHT HAND, UNTIL I MAKE YOUR ENEMIES A FOOTSTOOL FOR YOUR FEET.”‘ “Therefore let all the house of Israel know for certain that God has made Him both Lord and Christ — this Jesus whom you crucified.”
Peter saw the coming of the Holy Spirit as evidence
That Christ was now seated at God’s right hand
And that He was now reigning over the world.
Jesus was now “both Lord and Christ”
This may seem like a strange reality to you
(Given the upside down nature of our world today,)
But rest assured that Christ is reigning over everything.
He was yesterday, He is today, and He will continue tomorrow
The work of bringing His enemies into submission to His Lordship.
• On one hand He is saving His enemies and changing their hearts to be His children as they confess Him as Lord.
• For others He is merely allowing them to store up wrath for the day of wrath and judgment.
According to the time God has chosen,
Christ will return and gather all His redeemed to Himself
And then crush all His enemies.
And His current heavenly reign will then become a visible reign on earth.
But we do not wait for Him to reign,
He reigns now, and His ascension actually showed us that.
He ascended to the Father that He might sit at the Father’s right hand.
It Certifies His Ministry, It Confirms His Reign
3) THE ASCENSION COMMENCES HIS ROLE AS PRIEST
On one hand Christ sits at the Father’s right hand
To rule and to reign over the universe.
But there is another very important work
That Christ also does there at the right hand of the Father.
He sits there to intercede on behalf of believers.
The favorite text of the writer of Hebrews is:
Psalms 110:4 “The LORD has sworn and will not change His mind, “You are a priest forever According to the order of Melchizedek.”
• He spends 7 chapters with that one main theme in view
• That Christ has ascended to the Father
• Where He has taken His seat as a priest for us forever in the presence of God.
TURN TO: HEBREWS 1
(1:1-3) “God, after He spoke long ago to the fathers in the prophets in many portions and in many ways, in these last days has spoken to us in His Son, whom He appointed heir of all things, through whom also He made the world. And He is the radiance of His glory and the exact representation of His nature, and upholds all things by the word of His power. When He had made purification of sins, He sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on high,”
Jesus ascended and “sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on high”
This was to begin His role as our High Priest.
Part of His coming to earth was to suffer as we suffer
To become sympathetic and merciful to our struggle.
(2:17) “Therefore, He had to be made like His brethren in all things, so that He might become a merciful and faithful high priest in things pertaining to God, to make propitiation for the sins of the people.”
He certainly did that in His incarnation.
However, a priest doesn’t stay with the people.
A priest must present Himself before God on behalf of the people.
And this Jesus did by means of His ascension.
(4:14) “Therefore, since we have a great high priest who has passed through the heavens, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold fast our confession.”
The writer of Hebrews says that Jesus “passed through the heavens”
That is to say, He didn’t just go into some tent,
He actually ascended directly to the very presence of God.
(9:24) “For Christ did not enter a holy place made with hands, a mere copy of the true one, but into heaven itself, now to appear in the presence of God for us;”
You see it again.
• Jesus did not figuratively do anything.
• He actually ascended to the Father.
• He stepped into the actually Holy of Holies.
(6:19-20) “This hope we have as an anchor of the soul, a hope both sure and steadfast and one which enters within the veil, where Jesus has entered as a forerunner for us, having become a high priest forever according to the order of Melchizedek.”
We sing, “When darkness seems to hide His face, I rest on His unchanging grace; In every high and stormy gale, my anchor holds within the veil.”
Christ is in the very presence of God.
He ascended to where God dwells.
And here in God’s presence Christ intercedes for believers.
(7:25) “Therefore He is able also to save forever those who draw near to God through Him, since He always lives to make intercession for them.”
You see then why His ascension is so important.
He actually went to God.
And He actually intercedes for us.
It is the very essence of our security.
Romans 8:34 “who is the one who condemns? Christ Jesus is He who died, yes, rather who was raised, who is at the right hand of God, who also intercedes for us.”
Jesus now takes your needs directly to the Father.
His ascension made this possible.
It Certifies His Ministry, It Confirms His Reign, It Commences His Role as Priest
4) THE ASCENSION CLARIFIES HIS RETURN
TURN TO: ACTS 1
Luke begins his second account the way he ended his first;
With the ascension of Jesus.
• Here we have the disciples asking if the kingdom is coming now
• And of course Jesus gives that famous missionary mandate again that we have often read.
(1:8) “but you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be My witnesses both in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and even to the remotest part of the earth.”
And then Luke reveals again the ascension of Jesus.
This account is a little more detailed, but still doesn’t seem to have the extravagance we might expect from such a remarkable occurrence.
(1:9-10) “And after He had said these things, He was lifted up while they were looking on, and a cloud received Him out of their sight. And as they were gazing intently into the sky while He was going, behold, two men in white clothing stood beside them.”
• So the disciples are somewhat blown away.
• They just keep staring.
• And while they are staring, two angels show up.
And I want you to notice what they say.
(1:11) “They also said, “Men of Galilee, why do you stand looking into the sky? This Jesus, who has been taken up from you into heaven, will come in just the same way as you have watched Him go into heaven.”
These angels reveal to the disciples that the ascension
Is in some ways a foretelling of the 2nd Coming.
It gives us insight regarding the return of Christ.
• He’s not going to enter through the womb next time.
• He’s not going to just suddenly appear in the room.
• He’s not going to rise up out of the sea.
His 2nd Coming is NOT a spiritual reality that cannot be seen.
The second coming of Jesus
Will be a physical return in a physical body
Just as His ascension was a physical ascension in a physical body
The only difference is the direction.
During His ascension He left earth to ascend into the clouds.
At His 2nd coming He will descend from the clouds to the earth.
Revelation 1:7 “BEHOLD, HE IS COMING WITH THE CLOUDS, and every eye will see Him, even those who pierced Him; and all the tribes of the earth will mourn over Him. So it is to be. Amen.”
We now anticipate an actually bodily return of the Lord Jesus Christ.
This was made clear at His ascension.
One more thing I would add to what we learn from the ascension.
5) THE ASCENSION CREATES OUR EXPECTATION
By this I mean that what Jesus did here tells us what we can expect.
Here we have Jesus.
We know He died, we know He was buried, we know He was raised.
Jesus DID NOT go to heaven in the same way
We commonly talk about people going to heaven today.
Today we see a believer die and we bury their body in the ground, but we believe that their soul is currently in heaven with Christ.
2 Corinthians 5:8 “we are of good courage, I say, and prefer rather to be absent from the body and to be at home with the Lord.”
But don’t let this verse fool you into thinking that
In heaven all we will be is some sort of spirit with no body.
NOT AT ALL.
• Christ will return and then all the dead in Christ will rise in new bodies.
• Those who are alive will be instantly changed into their new bodies.
And in a body, just as Christ did,
We will ascend to heaven to dwell with God.
There was a bodily resurrection for Christ and there will be one for us.
There was a bodily ascension for Christ and there will be one for us.
You will remember that the Corinthians were totally confused by such a reality and so Paul straightened them out.
1 Corinthians 15:42-53 “So also is the resurrection of the dead. It is sown a perishable body, it is raised an imperishable body; it is sown in dishonor, it is raised in glory; it is sown in weakness, it is raised in power; it is sown a natural body, it is raised a spiritual body. If there is a natural body, there is also a spiritual body. So also it is written, “The first MAN, Adam, BECAME A LIVING SOUL.” The last Adam became a life-giving spirit. However, the spiritual is not first, but the natural; then the spiritual. The first man is from the earth, earthy; the second man is from heaven. As is the earthy, so also are those who are earthy; and as is the heavenly, so also are those who are heavenly. Just as we have borne the image of the earthy, we will also bear the image of the heavenly. Now I say this, brethren, that flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God; nor does the perishable inherit the imperishable. Behold, I tell you a mystery; we will not all sleep, but we will all be changed, in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet; for the trumpet will sound, and the dead will be raised imperishable, and we will be changed. For this perishable must put on the imperishable, and this mortal must put on immortality.”
On earth God has given us a body that is fit for earth.
It is a body that even Christ took up when He came to earth.
But this body is not fit for heaven.
It is too limited.
• This body is perishable and who wants to get old in heaven?
• This body is dishonorable and who wants dishonor in heaven?
• This body is weak and cannot perform spiritual duties.
• This body is natural and cannot keep up with spiritual desires.
This body has no place in heaven.
So just as Christ was raised in a new body
And in that new body ascended to heaven,
So we also will receive a new body
And in that new body we will ascend to heaven.
The ascension is the picture of that.
IT CREATES OUR EXPECTATION.
We expect to go just as Christ did.
Hopefully that helps you understand why the ascension is important.
So when Luke tells you “He parted from them and was carried up into heaven” you now know why.
THAT IS THE ASCENSION.
There is one more point to be made in our text this morning.
#2 THE RESPONSE
Luke 24:52-53
I think this is very important to see.
Jesus just left.
Now let me remind you of
The immediate response when He told them He was leaving.
John 13:33 “Little children, I am with you a little while longer. You will seek Me; and as I said to the Jews, now I also say to you, ‘Where I am going, you cannot come.’”
They were so distraught Jesus actually said:
John 14:1 “Do not let your heart be troubled; believe in God, believe also in Me.”
John 16:6 “But because I have said these things to you, sorrow has filled your heart.”
The disciples were extremely sorrowful
At Jesus’ announcement that He was leaving.
But He promised them:
John 15:11 “These things I have spoken to you so that My joy may be in you, and that your joy may be made full.”
John 16:20-22 “Truly, truly, I say to you, that you will weep and lament, but the world will rejoice; you will grieve, but your grief will be turned into joy. “Whenever a woman is in labor she has pain, because her hour has come; but when she gives birth to the child, she no longer remembers the anguish because of the joy that a child has been born into the world. “Therefore you too have grief now; but I will see you again, and your heart will rejoice, and no one will take your joy away from you.”
When He told them He was leaving they were a wreck.
• They were filled with sorrow
• They were filled with anxiety
• They were filled with grief
Jesus said, “I know you are sad now, but trust Me, you are going to rejoice about this and no one will take away your joy.”
Well, here we are some 40 days later,
Jesus just left and look at the disciples.
(52-53) “And they, after worshiping Him, returned to Jerusalem with great joy, and were continually in the temple praising God.”
We see words like:
• “worshiping”
• “great joy”
• “praising God”
WHY?
And I remind you, it’s NOT because they have the Holy Spirit.
• He is not yet here.
• He is coming in a few days.
They are still not yet to leave Jerusalem
Or begin their apostolic ministry where they preach Christ to the world.
So why are they all so happy and joyful now?
It all stems back to what we read earlier in Luke’s gospel.
Luke 24:45 “Then He opened their minds to understand the Scriptures,”
That is the only difference.
• In the upper room they did not fully understand why Jesus came.
• In the upper room they did not fully understand why Jesus was going to die.
• In the upper room they did not fully understand the resurrection.
• In the upper room they did not fully understand why Jesus must leave.
They didn’t understand those things
Because they didn’t understand the scriptures.
But now they do.
• Now they know why He came to earth and suffered.
• Now they know why He died on the cross.
• Now they know why He was buried.
• Now they know why God raised Him from the dead.
• And now they know why He is ascending to the Father.
Jesus is going to reign!
Jesus is going to intercede!
AND THAT PRODUCES WORSHIP, JOY, AND PRAISE!
1. Jesus has finished His work!
2. Jesus has completely saved them!
3. Jesus will now go and keep them saved!
4. Jesus will now begin the task of putting His enemies under His feet!
His ascension is not a sad thing, it is a glorious thing!
His ministry is not over.
His earthly ministry is over, but His heavenly ministry is just beginning.
AND THEY ARE OVERWHELMED WITH JOY.
Incidentally you should be too!
• The fact that Jesus didn’t just disappear…
• The fact that He didn’t die again at a ripe old age…
• The fact that Jesus bodily ascended into heaven is a great event!
He has now taken His seat and has begun to reign.
He has now taken His seat and is interceding for you.
Next on His agenda will be to return
And call you to your ascension as well.
This is a great event!
And so you see why they “were continually in the temple praising God.”
• They WEREN’T preaching yet.
• They WEREN’T testifying yet.
• That is coming.
First, they are merely praising.
Jesus has saved them!
Last Sunday night we studied the 103rd Psalm.
I must say, it has left quite a mark on me.
All week I’ve had those opening verses on my mind.
Psalms 103:1-5 “Bless the LORD, O my soul, And all that is within me, bless His holy name. Bless the LORD, O my soul, And forget none of His benefits; Who pardons all your iniquities, Who heals all your diseases; Who redeems your life from the pit, Who crowns you with lovingkindness and compassion; Who satisfies your years with good things, So that your youth is renewed like the eagle.”
• David called his soul to awaken from slumber,
• To start chronicling the great benefits of God
• And for his soul to respond accordingly with blessing for God.
That is what the disciples are doing.
They are now able to fully comprehend all that Christ did,
And their soul is rightly motivated to bless God.
“worshiping” here is PROSKYNEO
It literally means “to kiss”
• (like a dog licking its master’s hand)
• (like Psalms 2 telling us to “kiss the son”)
• (what Judas did in mockery in the garden)
The disciples are now bowing low to the exalted Christ and reigning Lord.
“praising” here is EULOGEO
It’s where we get our word “eulogy” which means “to speak well of someone.”
The disciples now fully comprehend their salvation
And so they take every opportunity they can
To go to that temple and bless God.
I love that Luke’s gospel ends with this verse.
I contend that this should be
The response of every believer after a study like this.
Now that have had the privilege of being guided by the Holy Spirit
Through a nearly 4 year look at the person and work of Jesus.
We should also be ready to spend as much time as we can praising God.
Now up next for the disciples is mission work.
The Holy Spirit will arrive in just under 2 weeks and the preaching will begin.
But it is interesting to me that
Before they were ever preachers of the gospel
They were lovers of the gospel.
Are you?
It’s hard to be motivated to proclaim a message you don’t love.
The disciples loved it.
They loved it so much they could rejoice even when Jesus left.
• They loved what He had done for them, which His ascension certified.
• They loved what He was now doing for them, which His ascension commenced
• They loved what He would do in the future, which His ascension clarified.
And they blessed God for it.
That is a fitting way to end the study of Luke’s gospel.
With you and I blessing God for all that He has done
Through the person and work of Christ.
And with an eager eye to go forth and proclaim it to the world.
