The Ascension of Our Lord – Pr. Anderson sermon
Acts 1:1-11 “Jesus was Taken Up and He Will Come Again”
May 8, 2024 | Christ Lutheran Church
In Nomine Iesu
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Almighty God, who raised up Your dear Son from the lowliness of His earthly state to Your right hand in the heaven, grant that, as we joyfully believe and this day celebrate His ascension, we may even in this present world seek only the things which are eternal, that we may in the end be made partakers of the glory of Your Son Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, ever one God, now and forever. Amen. (The Lutheran Liturgy, companion altar book for The Lutheran Hymnal, p. 126)
Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. Amen. (Rom. 1:7, etc.)
The sermon text for today is taken from the 1st chapter of the book of Acts. We read selected verses in Jesus’ name:
[Jesus said to His disciples:] “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.”
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.
And while they were gazing into heaven as He went, behold, 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.”
These are Your words, heavenly Father. Sanctify us by Your truth, Your Word is truth. Amen. (Joh. 17:17)
In Christ Jesus, who acknowledges you as friends of God because of His work of salvation for you, who is with you always, ruling as your prophet, priest, and king, dear fellow redeemed:
When it comes to writing a book, it needs a good beginning and it needs a good end. It would of course be beneficial to get people to read the book if there is good character development and a great plot. As it winds down from the climax, what sits with readers is how it all ends. The history of Jesus’ certainly had a great beginning and a just as meaningful end. It started with God the Son, coming down and putting on our flesh and blood. At the right point in history, Jesus was born, being conceived by the Holy Spirit and the Virgin Mary. After this miraculous birth, this baby grew up and was perfect in every way. He taught His people the coming of the kingdom of God and healed their diseases. At the climax, this man who was not seeking an earthly position and after many attacks against Him, He was taken and executed even though He did nothing wrong. His life and death is for your salvation, and now, what looks like the end of the story is only your beginning. Jesus was taken up into heaven and He will come again to bring you home.
St. Luke sets the stage, bridging his Gospel account to his second book, the Acts of the Apostles. Luke ends and Acts begins with this key event in history. Jesus, who was crucified and risen from the dead will no longer physically be on earth. St. Luke begins, “In the first book, O Theophilus, I have dealt with all that Jesus began to do and teach, until the day when He was taken up, after He had given commands through the Holy Spirit to the apostles whom He had chosen. He presented Himself alive to them after His suffering by many proofs, appearing to them during forty days and speaking about the kingdom of God.” The risen Savior didn’t just up take off. Many saw His face and wounds and He kept teaching. Theophilus, the one who loves God, or the friend of God, read Luke’s first book. Jesus forgave sinners, healing them physically and eternally and then taught the world that this was the work of God
for their good. The kingdom of God was with them at the beginning of His ministry and will continue to come through the Holy Spirit.
What comfort for the disciples to see that their Savior and Lord was not going to abandon them. The Holy Spirit, the comforter, was promised to them for their aid. As the disciples were told they were going to do all of these great things, they are still dwelling on Jesus’ departure. So when they had come together, they asked Him, “Lord, will You at this time restore the kingdom to Israel?” It would be great if Jesus would stay and rule over all the earth. That should fix all of the world’s problems, right? What the disciples are asking is what had almost happened. The crowd wanted to make Jesus the bread king. And as Jesus following was growing, this drove the religious leaders to plot to kill Him and they succeeded. Jesus’ kingdom is not from here, and in a little time, the disciples will realize how important it is that their teacher leaves.
Jesus knowing that His time is up, reassures them about the aid they are going to receive. He said to them, “It is not for you to know times or seasons that the Father has fixed by His own authority. 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.” Now that is great aid. To be able to witness, to share the gospel message with such ease! And this is the same Holy Spirit that dwells in us for our witness. “Pastor, you mean to tell me that I can boast about my faith like the disciples?!” “I can’t share my faith like they can!” It’s hard to share our faith with others, especially today in this world, but it’s the same world and the disciples had the same problem. They were all killed but one and not long ago we heard this question in front of church, “Do you intend to continue steadfast in the true Christian faith, be diligent in the use of God’s Word and Sacraments, and lead a Godly life, even to death, if so, answer I do and I ask God to help me?” We don’t know what hardships we will endure because of our faith, and it is easy to worry and fret. All of this points us to the reason we are gathered for our Lord’s ascension.
For the world to see that the Father approves the work of His Son, St. Luke records, “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.” Jesus is crowned and seated at the right hand of the Father. He was in one location and now at the right hand of the Father, He is here in this worship service as well as all of the worship services celebrating this great day! He is reigning and ruling for the good of His church. This is not the end of the story. Jesus continues to reveal the truth of His Word with His ascension. Before His death, He told the disciples He is going to prepare a place for them in His Father’s house.
For the disciples to have this blessing of a home with the Heavenly Father, Jesus was taken up and He will come again. Jesus had been preparing the disciples for what was coming. He lived out His perfect life. He took on their burdens and died for their sins and the sins of the world on the cross. At this climax when it looked like all was lost, three days later Jesus burst forth from the grave showing that even death itself could not stop the plan of God. For their good and the good of the world, Jesus ascended to heaven, to prepare those rooms and to be with them in all they do. Now with Jesus’ ascension the disciples witnessed how their Savior is not gone forever, He will come again.
The reason you are sitting here today is because you are waiting for Him to come again. You have faith that what Jesus has told you is true. While worries try to run amok because of your hardships, God, “worked in Christ when he raised him from the dead and seated him at his right hand in the heavenly places, far above all rule and authority and power and dominion, and above every name that is named, not only in this age but also in the one to come. And he put all things under his feet and gave him as head over all things to the church, which is his body, the fullness of him who fills all in all” (Ephesians 1:20-23). God sent his Son into the world for your salvation. In His death and resurrection, you see that you will survive because the war is won. The climax of your story is continuous because of Christ’s ascension. The Holy Spirit continues to bring Christ to you in the Word and Sacraments where you hear how you have sinned, those sins are forgiven, and you have life and salvation forever with your ascended Savior in heaven.
As Jesus ascended into heaven to be with the disciples at all times and places, they were still standing there waiting. And while they were gazing into heaven as He went, behold, 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.” The world continues to see why Jesus had to go. The disciples still
didn’t understand. This understanding would come from the Holy Spirit. The same understanding that you and I now have. The understanding that Jesus descended to take on your flesh. He put on your sins and died on the cross. He rose from the dead to confirm to you that it is true, your sins are forgiven. And now that He ascended and sits at the right hand of the Father, He is taking care of you. He comes to you in Word and Sacraments saying, “And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age” (Matthew 28:20). Amen.
Glory be to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Ghost; as it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be, forevermore. Amen.
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