50 Jesus led his followers out of Jerusalem almost to Bethany. He
raised his hands and blessed them. 51 While He was blessing
them, He was separated from them and carried into Heaven. 52 They
worshiped Him and then went back to the city very happy. 53 They
stayed in the temple all the time, praising God. (Luke 24:50-53, ICB)
How does the ascension of
Jesus lead us to praise Him joyfully?
1.
We know that Jesus reigns as King over everything
22 Now Jesus has gone into Heaven
and is at God’s right side. He rules over angels, authorities, and powers. (1 Peter 3:22, ICB)
2.
We have an Advocate in Heaven.
My dear children, I write this letter to you so that you will not sin.
But if anyone does sin, we have Jesus Christ to help us. He is the Righteous
One. He defends us before God the Father. (1 John 2:1, ICB)
3. We have the Spirit Advocate here
on earth whose presence is limitless.
7 But I tell you the truth. It is better for you that I go away. When I go
away I will send the Helper] to you. If I do not go away, then the
Helper will not come. (John 16:7 ICB)
4. We are empowered for our mission.
8 But the Holy Spirit will come to you. Then you will receive power. You
will be My witnesses in Jerusalem, in all of Judea, in Samaria, and in every
part of the world. (Acts 1:8, ICB)
5. We live in hope for His return.
9 After He said this, as they were watching, he was lifted up. A cloud hid
Him from their sight. 10 As He was going, they were looking
into the sky. Suddenly, two men wearing white clothes stood beside them. 11 They
said, “Men of Galilee, why are you standing here looking into the sky? You saw
Jesus taken away from you into Heaven. He will come back in the same way you
saw Him go.” (Acts
1:9-11, ICB)
“Jesus' epic work through his sinless life, atoning death, resurrection,
and ascension, and the sending of the Spirit, was so that God could have an
ethnically diverse family of Jews and Gentiles.” (Derwin L. Gray) [i]
[i] Inspired by the sermon “Conclusions: Taken”
(installment one) Sunday February 17, 2019, Pastor
Dave Jansen, CenterPoint Gahanna Church Gahanna, OH.
No comments:
Post a Comment