I BELIEVE IN JESUS CHRIST: ASCENDED INTO HEAVEN AND SITS AT THE RIGHT HAND OF GOD Selected Scripture Verses
Pastor Dennis Bone
6-7-15
A few weeks ago we recognized Jesus’ ascension, an event we don’t celebrate like His birth or resurrection, but one that is an essential aspect of His redemptive work. Augustine expressed this about Christ’s ascension when he wrote: “This is the festival (or holiday) which confirms the grace of all the festivals together . . . for unless the Savior had ascended into heaven, His Nativity would have come to nothing; and His passion would have borne no fruit for us, and His most holy resurrection would have been useless.”
Thus we come this morning to the phrase in the Apostle’s creed which states: “He ascended into heaven and sits at the right hand of God the Father Almighty.” So I want us to consider together three important things about the Ascension of Jesus Christ. First, the wonder of the Ascension or what the ascension is. Second, the witness from the Ascension, or what the ascension means; and then third, the work based upon the Ascension, or what the ascension of Jesus does.
The actual word “ascension” means to go up or to rise; but in regards to Jesus’ ascension it has a much deeper and more significant meaning due to its uniqueness, purpose and place to which He ascends to: the right hand of God. The Apostle’s creed says first that He ascended into heaven, meaning that He is now in the presence of His heavenly Father and in full communion with Him; and that He is at the right hand of God the Father, meaning that He is in the place of all power and authority. So the first point to consider is the wonder of the ascension. Certainly for those apostles that were there when it happened it was spectacular and awesome; for it was a manifestation of God’s majesty and glory.
We hear the words of Luke’s account in Acts chapter 1: “After he said this, Jesus was taken up before their very eyes, and a cloud hid him from their sight. They were looking intently up into the sky as he was going, when suddenly two men dressed in white stood beside them. ‘Men of Galilee,” they said, “why do you stand here looking into the sky? This same Jesus, who has been taken from you into heaven, will come back in the same way you have seen him go into heaven.”
The imagery is one of “Shekinah glory” referring to the cloud of God’s presence in the Old Testament and a visible manifestation of God’s radiant glory. We see this same majestic glory in Jesus’ transfiguration and it points us to God’s redemptive presence and work for His people. Here in Acts 1 we see Jesus’ bodily transition from earth to heaven: it’s a glorious moment as He enters into glory. Jesus’ resurrected human body is now returning to the heavenly glory from which He came. The wonder of God becoming man in the incarnation, or birth of Jesus, has now become the wonder of this resurrected man – our Savior Jesus Christ – ascending to the place of the divine Son of God.
What a wondrous reality is this! This amazing and majestic act is, as we hear said a lot in our study during Sunday school of systematic theology: “mind-blowing.” This is “mind-blowing” in a great way because we can’t fully understand or comprehend this wondrous truth, thus a second point: Jesus moves from the finite to the infinite as the God-Man; and in this redemptive event we see Jesus coronation as King and Judge. We see in the ascension the fulfillment of Psalm 110: “The Lord says to my Lord: ‘Sit at my right hand until I make your enemies a footstool for your feet.’”
Paul says in Philippians 2 that God exalted Jesus to the highest place – the place of all authority and power as King of Kings and Lord of Lords – so that every knee will bow and every tongue will confess that Jesus Christ is Lord. This then is the wonder of the ascension; and then third, as Jesus is ascending, the angels declare that He will come back to earth in the same way He left; and this coming back will be as a result of His leaving the earth. He is not gone for good; and His return will be wondrous and glorious as well. As the Apostle’s creed goes on to say: “He will come to judge the living and the dead.” But for those who believe and trust in the work Jesus came to do the first time, it will not be a time of judgment for our sins, but a time of reunion with our Savior who paid for our sins; and will bring us to the glory of heaven with Him.
The wonder of the ascension leads us to a second major point to consider: the witness from the ascension. Jesus ascension bears witness to Christ’s work of salvation for us; and what He came to do impacts us because of His ascension to the right hand of God. Thus, Jesus’ redemptive work for us is confirmed as He is Exalted: He is lifted up to the right hand of God, via His ascension. The resurrection proves the truth of who Jesus is, and the validity of His work on the cross for us; and the ascension is the receiving of Jesus back into the presence and fellowship of God the Father, after completely finishing what He was sent to do for us. The ascension means, or it bears witness to the fact that the work of Jesus worked; and because of this we will be with Jesus forever. Jesus is exalted, not only as the King and Judge, but as our great high priest. Jesus ascends to the place of absolute authority as God the Son, while at the same time Jesus ascends to be our Advocate and our mediator, as the man Christ Jesus.
The bodily ascension of Jesus bears witness and testifies to who Jesus is as the Mighty God; and what Jesus did as our wonderful Savior. First, the ascension testifies to Jesus’ deity. In Matthew 26, when Jesus is before the high priest Caiaphas He is asked, “Tell us if you are the Christ the Son of the living God.” Jesus replied, “Yes, it is as you say.” And He adds: “But I say to all of you: In the future you will see the Son of Man sitting at the right hand of the Mighty One coming on the clouds of heaven.” They couldn’t get Jesus to say much, but this said it all. The high priest responded by tearing his robe and saying, “He has spoken blasphemy!” He knew, as did all the rabbis that Jesus is claiming deity; and His ascension bears witness to this very truth.
In Hebrews 1 we read that the Son is the radiance of God’s glory and the exact representation of His being, which is what the ascension testifies to; and then quoting from Psalm 45 we read: “About the Son he says, ‘Your throne O God, will last for ever and ever, and righteousness will be the scepter of your kingdom.’” So the ascension not only testifies to Jesus’ deity, but then also secondly, the ascension testifies to Jesus’ reign. It testifies to His kingdom that He ascended to reign or rule over. Caiaphas, the high priest knew that Jesus was referring to Daniel chapter 7; and the prophetic promise that the Son of Man would be given all authority, glory and sovereign power; and that all peoples, nations and men of every language worshiped Him. His dominion would be an everlasting dominion and would never pass away, and His kingdom is one that will never be destroyed.
This is what Jesus is claiming and we see it’s fulfillment in His ascension; as Stephen states in Acts 7 when He is stoned to death for his blasphemy.
Luke writes: “Stephen, full of the Holy Spirit, looked up to heaven and saw the glory of God and Jesus standing at the right hand of God. ‘Look,’ he said, ‘I see heaven open and the Son of Man standing at the right hand of God.’” Wow, the wonder of the ascension experienced by the apostles in Acts 1, is now testified to by Stephen who sees its reality and proclaims its truth. Can you imagine the comfort that this brought to Stephen knowing that Jesus truly is in charge; He has control; and what happens to Stephan and what happens to us in our lives is not random or arbitrary or outside His control? Jesus reigns now; and neither His kingdom nor His people will ever be destroyed. This is absolutely true and guaranteed because of the ascension.
And then third, the ascension testifies to Jesus sharing His inheritance with us. You remember that Jesus tells His disciples that He must leave them in order to prepare a place for them. We all know the familiar passage in John 14: “Don’t let your hearts be troubled . . . If I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back and take you to be with me that you also may be where I am.” The ascension testifies that He has earned this inheritance for us, via the cross, and it points to the fact that we have this inheritance in Him. Our union with Jesus by faith is what gives us this sure hope and guarantee for the future. As Peter says, we have been given an inheritance that can never perish, spoil or fade – kept in heaven for you. It’s in heaven because Jesus is in heaven; and it’s ours’ because Jesus has attained it for us; and the ascension not only testifies that we have it, but also that we will be sharing in the fullness of its glory when Jesus returns.
This leads us then to the third major point to consider: The work based upon the ascension. The ascension signifies or points to the fact that the work of Christ’s redemption or salvation for us is done.
This work is finished, yet it then points us to the glorious truth that the work of His heavenly ministry has started. Some have referred to this ministry as Christ’s heavenly session at the right hand of God; or in other words this is what Jesus is doing between the time of His ascension and the time of His return. He is actively ministering at the right hand of God. The imagery of “sitting” refers to His sacrifice as our great high priest being once for all – there is no more sacrifice for sin – and this is what has activated Jesus’ ability to act for His people. He now acts for us, or on our behalf, because He has saved us from our sin. This is why Jesus says in John 16:7: “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.”
The work of the cross is what leads to the work of the Spirit. So the first work of ministry based upon the ascension is the ministry of Jesus sending His Spirit to His people. Jesus prepared His disciples for the coming of His Spirit during His last week with them on earth, primarily in His teachings recorded in the gospel of John chapters 14-17; and then immediately prior to His ascension we hear Jesus say in Acts 1: “Do not leave Jerusalem, but wait for the gift my Father promised, which you have heard me speak about. John baptized with water, but in a few days you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit.” The church receives and is empowered by God’s Spirit based upon Christ’s ascension and His heavenly ministry, at the right hand of God.
Second, we the ministry of Jesus’ intercession for His people based upon the ascension. This is a part of Jesus’ continual work for us as our high priest and Advocate. He speaks to God the Father on our behalf and prays for us as our divine mediator.
Jesus is able to relate to us and sympathize with us because He became like us, thus He can comfort us and lead us and forgive us and empower us through His Spirit. In Romans 8 Paul writes about this great truth: “Who will bring any charge against those whom God has chosen? It is God who justifies. Who is he that condemns? Jesus Christ, who died, more than that, who was raised to life; and is at the right hand of God and is also interceding for us.” Jesus intercedes for us because we are justified through Him – His death and resurrection – and He continues to work in us and for us, because He ascended and is at the right hand of God on our behalf as His people.
This then speaks third about the ministry of Jesus’ rule over, and for His people. The ascension teaches us that although Jesus has left this earth He has not left us; and the work that He is doing now is for us and for His church. We hear this in the comforting and empowering words of Ephesians 1, where Paul prays that as Christians we will know and experience the power of Christ in our lives – here and now – saying: “This power is like the working of His mighty strength, which He exerted in Christ when He raised Him from the dead and seated Him at His right hand in the heavenly realms, far above all rule and authority, power and dominion, and every title that can be given, not only in the present age but also in the one to come. And God placed all things under His feet and appointed Him to be head over everything for the church, which is His body, the fullness of Him who fills everything in every way.”
This is our ascended Savior and Lord. Thus we should say with the Psalmist: “Whom have I in heaven but you? And earth has nothing I desire besides you. You guide me with your counsel, and afterward you will take me into glory.”
©You’re welcome to recycle these resources for your church free of charge. However, if you find them useful, please consider making a donation to the ministry of GCC.
Pastor Dennis Bone
6-7-15
A few weeks ago we recognized Jesus’ ascension, an event we don’t celebrate like His birth or resurrection, but one that is an essential aspect of His redemptive work. Augustine expressed this about Christ’s ascension when he wrote: “This is the festival (or holiday) which confirms the grace of all the festivals together . . . for unless the Savior had ascended into heaven, His Nativity would have come to nothing; and His passion would have borne no fruit for us, and His most holy resurrection would have been useless.”
Thus we come this morning to the phrase in the Apostle’s creed which states: “He ascended into heaven and sits at the right hand of God the Father Almighty.” So I want us to consider together three important things about the Ascension of Jesus Christ. First, the wonder of the Ascension or what the ascension is. Second, the witness from the Ascension, or what the ascension means; and then third, the work based upon the Ascension, or what the ascension of Jesus does.
The actual word “ascension” means to go up or to rise; but in regards to Jesus’ ascension it has a much deeper and more significant meaning due to its uniqueness, purpose and place to which He ascends to: the right hand of God. The Apostle’s creed says first that He ascended into heaven, meaning that He is now in the presence of His heavenly Father and in full communion with Him; and that He is at the right hand of God the Father, meaning that He is in the place of all power and authority. So the first point to consider is the wonder of the ascension. Certainly for those apostles that were there when it happened it was spectacular and awesome; for it was a manifestation of God’s majesty and glory.
We hear the words of Luke’s account in Acts chapter 1: “After he said this, Jesus was taken up before their very eyes, and a cloud hid him from their sight. They were looking intently up into the sky as he was going, when suddenly two men dressed in white stood beside them. ‘Men of Galilee,” they said, “why do you stand here looking into the sky? This same Jesus, who has been taken from you into heaven, will come back in the same way you have seen him go into heaven.”
The imagery is one of “Shekinah glory” referring to the cloud of God’s presence in the Old Testament and a visible manifestation of God’s radiant glory. We see this same majestic glory in Jesus’ transfiguration and it points us to God’s redemptive presence and work for His people. Here in Acts 1 we see Jesus’ bodily transition from earth to heaven: it’s a glorious moment as He enters into glory. Jesus’ resurrected human body is now returning to the heavenly glory from which He came. The wonder of God becoming man in the incarnation, or birth of Jesus, has now become the wonder of this resurrected man – our Savior Jesus Christ – ascending to the place of the divine Son of God.
What a wondrous reality is this! This amazing and majestic act is, as we hear said a lot in our study during Sunday school of systematic theology: “mind-blowing.” This is “mind-blowing” in a great way because we can’t fully understand or comprehend this wondrous truth, thus a second point: Jesus moves from the finite to the infinite as the God-Man; and in this redemptive event we see Jesus coronation as King and Judge. We see in the ascension the fulfillment of Psalm 110: “The Lord says to my Lord: ‘Sit at my right hand until I make your enemies a footstool for your feet.’”
Paul says in Philippians 2 that God exalted Jesus to the highest place – the place of all authority and power as King of Kings and Lord of Lords – so that every knee will bow and every tongue will confess that Jesus Christ is Lord. This then is the wonder of the ascension; and then third, as Jesus is ascending, the angels declare that He will come back to earth in the same way He left; and this coming back will be as a result of His leaving the earth. He is not gone for good; and His return will be wondrous and glorious as well. As the Apostle’s creed goes on to say: “He will come to judge the living and the dead.” But for those who believe and trust in the work Jesus came to do the first time, it will not be a time of judgment for our sins, but a time of reunion with our Savior who paid for our sins; and will bring us to the glory of heaven with Him.
The wonder of the ascension leads us to a second major point to consider: the witness from the ascension. Jesus ascension bears witness to Christ’s work of salvation for us; and what He came to do impacts us because of His ascension to the right hand of God. Thus, Jesus’ redemptive work for us is confirmed as He is Exalted: He is lifted up to the right hand of God, via His ascension. The resurrection proves the truth of who Jesus is, and the validity of His work on the cross for us; and the ascension is the receiving of Jesus back into the presence and fellowship of God the Father, after completely finishing what He was sent to do for us. The ascension means, or it bears witness to the fact that the work of Jesus worked; and because of this we will be with Jesus forever. Jesus is exalted, not only as the King and Judge, but as our great high priest. Jesus ascends to the place of absolute authority as God the Son, while at the same time Jesus ascends to be our Advocate and our mediator, as the man Christ Jesus.
The bodily ascension of Jesus bears witness and testifies to who Jesus is as the Mighty God; and what Jesus did as our wonderful Savior. First, the ascension testifies to Jesus’ deity. In Matthew 26, when Jesus is before the high priest Caiaphas He is asked, “Tell us if you are the Christ the Son of the living God.” Jesus replied, “Yes, it is as you say.” And He adds: “But I say to all of you: In the future you will see the Son of Man sitting at the right hand of the Mighty One coming on the clouds of heaven.” They couldn’t get Jesus to say much, but this said it all. The high priest responded by tearing his robe and saying, “He has spoken blasphemy!” He knew, as did all the rabbis that Jesus is claiming deity; and His ascension bears witness to this very truth.
In Hebrews 1 we read that the Son is the radiance of God’s glory and the exact representation of His being, which is what the ascension testifies to; and then quoting from Psalm 45 we read: “About the Son he says, ‘Your throne O God, will last for ever and ever, and righteousness will be the scepter of your kingdom.’” So the ascension not only testifies to Jesus’ deity, but then also secondly, the ascension testifies to Jesus’ reign. It testifies to His kingdom that He ascended to reign or rule over. Caiaphas, the high priest knew that Jesus was referring to Daniel chapter 7; and the prophetic promise that the Son of Man would be given all authority, glory and sovereign power; and that all peoples, nations and men of every language worshiped Him. His dominion would be an everlasting dominion and would never pass away, and His kingdom is one that will never be destroyed.
This is what Jesus is claiming and we see it’s fulfillment in His ascension; as Stephen states in Acts 7 when He is stoned to death for his blasphemy.
Luke writes: “Stephen, full of the Holy Spirit, looked up to heaven and saw the glory of God and Jesus standing at the right hand of God. ‘Look,’ he said, ‘I see heaven open and the Son of Man standing at the right hand of God.’” Wow, the wonder of the ascension experienced by the apostles in Acts 1, is now testified to by Stephen who sees its reality and proclaims its truth. Can you imagine the comfort that this brought to Stephen knowing that Jesus truly is in charge; He has control; and what happens to Stephan and what happens to us in our lives is not random or arbitrary or outside His control? Jesus reigns now; and neither His kingdom nor His people will ever be destroyed. This is absolutely true and guaranteed because of the ascension.
And then third, the ascension testifies to Jesus sharing His inheritance with us. You remember that Jesus tells His disciples that He must leave them in order to prepare a place for them. We all know the familiar passage in John 14: “Don’t let your hearts be troubled . . . If I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back and take you to be with me that you also may be where I am.” The ascension testifies that He has earned this inheritance for us, via the cross, and it points to the fact that we have this inheritance in Him. Our union with Jesus by faith is what gives us this sure hope and guarantee for the future. As Peter says, we have been given an inheritance that can never perish, spoil or fade – kept in heaven for you. It’s in heaven because Jesus is in heaven; and it’s ours’ because Jesus has attained it for us; and the ascension not only testifies that we have it, but also that we will be sharing in the fullness of its glory when Jesus returns.
This leads us then to the third major point to consider: The work based upon the ascension. The ascension signifies or points to the fact that the work of Christ’s redemption or salvation for us is done.
This work is finished, yet it then points us to the glorious truth that the work of His heavenly ministry has started. Some have referred to this ministry as Christ’s heavenly session at the right hand of God; or in other words this is what Jesus is doing between the time of His ascension and the time of His return. He is actively ministering at the right hand of God. The imagery of “sitting” refers to His sacrifice as our great high priest being once for all – there is no more sacrifice for sin – and this is what has activated Jesus’ ability to act for His people. He now acts for us, or on our behalf, because He has saved us from our sin. This is why Jesus says in John 16:7: “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.”
The work of the cross is what leads to the work of the Spirit. So the first work of ministry based upon the ascension is the ministry of Jesus sending His Spirit to His people. Jesus prepared His disciples for the coming of His Spirit during His last week with them on earth, primarily in His teachings recorded in the gospel of John chapters 14-17; and then immediately prior to His ascension we hear Jesus say in Acts 1: “Do not leave Jerusalem, but wait for the gift my Father promised, which you have heard me speak about. John baptized with water, but in a few days you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit.” The church receives and is empowered by God’s Spirit based upon Christ’s ascension and His heavenly ministry, at the right hand of God.
Second, we the ministry of Jesus’ intercession for His people based upon the ascension. This is a part of Jesus’ continual work for us as our high priest and Advocate. He speaks to God the Father on our behalf and prays for us as our divine mediator.
Jesus is able to relate to us and sympathize with us because He became like us, thus He can comfort us and lead us and forgive us and empower us through His Spirit. In Romans 8 Paul writes about this great truth: “Who will bring any charge against those whom God has chosen? It is God who justifies. Who is he that condemns? Jesus Christ, who died, more than that, who was raised to life; and is at the right hand of God and is also interceding for us.” Jesus intercedes for us because we are justified through Him – His death and resurrection – and He continues to work in us and for us, because He ascended and is at the right hand of God on our behalf as His people.
This then speaks third about the ministry of Jesus’ rule over, and for His people. The ascension teaches us that although Jesus has left this earth He has not left us; and the work that He is doing now is for us and for His church. We hear this in the comforting and empowering words of Ephesians 1, where Paul prays that as Christians we will know and experience the power of Christ in our lives – here and now – saying: “This power is like the working of His mighty strength, which He exerted in Christ when He raised Him from the dead and seated Him at His right hand in the heavenly realms, far above all rule and authority, power and dominion, and every title that can be given, not only in the present age but also in the one to come. And God placed all things under His feet and appointed Him to be head over everything for the church, which is His body, the fullness of Him who fills everything in every way.”
This is our ascended Savior and Lord. Thus we should say with the Psalmist: “Whom have I in heaven but you? And earth has nothing I desire besides you. You guide me with your counsel, and afterward you will take me into glory.”
©You’re welcome to recycle these resources for your church free of charge. However, if you find them useful, please consider making a donation to the ministry of GCC.
