6 So when they had come together, they asked him, “Lord, will you at this time restore the kingdom to Israel?” 7 He said to them, “It is not for you to know times or seasons that the Father has fixed by his own authority. 8 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.” 9 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. 10 And while they were gazing into heaven as he went, behold, two men stood by them in white robes, 11 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 1:6-11)
Tomorrow, May 9th, is Ascension Day, which makes this Sunday, May 12th, Ascension Sunday (along with Mother’s Day). It doesn’t garner as much attention as the main holy days of the Christian calendar, like Christmas, Easter or Pentecost. Why bring attention to it? Isn’t it just an extension of Christ’s resurrection? After all, it was inevitable that he was going back to heaven from where he came at his birth.
Actually, Christ’s ascension to heaven is loaded with significance. The Heidelberg Catechism helps us understand how (Q/A’s #46-52):
- Christ advocates and intercedes for us at God’s right hand (Rom. 8:34; 1 John 2:1).
- An actual, physical human being is in heaven with God, demonstrating that other human beings (like us!), if we trust in him, will go to be with God as well (John 17:24; Eph. 2:4-6; Col. 3:1-4).
- Because Christ has gone, he has left us His Spirit (John 14:16; Acts 2:33), who is the “down payment” of our inheritance (2 Cor. 5:5).
- Because he sits at God’s right hand, Jesus is qualified to serve as the Head of His church (Eph. 1:20-23; Col. 1:18).
The bottom line of the Ascension is that Jesus Christ is KING! Not only did he live a perfect life, die for our sins, and rise again, but he lives and reigns at God the Father’s right hand with all the authority of God Himself. One day he will rule the world when he returns.
This means that we don’t need to live in dread of the present or in fear of the future. Christ holds the future, our future, and if our trust is in him, he holds us as well. He is sovereign even over this broken world and works for God’s glory and our good until he returns.
We can live confidently for him, even through adversity, knowing that one day he will restore and renew this sin-cursed world.
Hallelujah! Come, Lord Jesus.
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