Sermon – May 16, 2021 – Ascension
Printable PDF: 5-16-2021 Ascension Sermon
Pastor Clark ~ Luke 24:44-53 ~ May 16, 2021 ~ Ascension Sermon
IT’S ALL CLEAR NOW
44He said to them, “This is what I told you while I was still with you: Everything must be fulfilled that is written about me in the Law of Moses, the Prophets and the Psalms.” 45Then he opened their minds so they could understand the Scriptures. 46He told them, “This is what is written: The Messiah will suffer and rise from the dead on the third day, 47and repentance for the forgiveness of sins will be preached in his name to all nations, beginning at Jerusalem. 48You are witnesses of these things. 49I am going to send you what my Father has promised; but stay in the city until you have been clothed with power from on high.” 50When he had led them out to the vicinity of Bethany, he lifted up his hands and blessed them. 51While he was blessing them, he left them and was taken up into heaven. 52Then they worshiped him and returned to Jerusalem with great joy. 53And they stayed continually at the temple, praising God.
Dear brothers and sisters of the Ascended Lord,
Israel is a small country. It’s 290 miles north and south and only 85 miles east and west. It’s about the size of New Jersey, the fifth smallest state in the U.S. In 1999 I was riding in a coach between archeological digging opportunities and we were touring Israel, but I had no idea where we were going. When we were at the Dead Sea or Jerusalem or the Sea of Galilee, it was clear. But when we went to the Valley of Elah (David & Goliath), I was lost. I bought a road map of Israel that helped immensely.
There is much about life that is crystal clear for us today. There is also much that is very unclear which makes us very similar to believers in the forty days after Easter. It was great that Jesus had risen, but they weren’t very clear about what came next.
- The Scriptures are clear. (verses 44-47)
44[Jesus] said to them, “This is what I told you while I was still with you: Everything must be fulfilled that is written about me in the Law of Moses, the Prophets, and the Psalms.” 45Then he opened their minds so they could understand the Scriptures. 46He told them, “This is what is written: The Messiah will suffer and rise from the dead on the third day, 47and repentance for the forgiveness of sins will be preached in his name to all nations, beginning at Jerusalem.
Jesus knew they were confused, so he made it clear. They needed to see they already had the road map. It’s called, the Law of Moses, the Prophets, and the Psalms. You and I would call it the Bible. The Bible had shown them all along what would happen and what it meant.
So why didn’t they understand? Ever watch one of those old movies recorded in analog Black and White? It’s so different from color High Definition. That’s what the disciples were doing. They were seeing everything in analog. Or it is like trying to talk with someone on the phone when someone is talking or playing the radio in the background. The false ideas, traditions, and the culture of their day made it difficult for them to hear clearly that Jesus was the Messiah and that all the things that had happened in his life, from his conception and birth to his life, death, and resurrection had to happen exactly as they did. They had been looking at spiritual truths in a less than spiritual way.
It would have been so easy for them to look at Jesus in a self-interested manner, to be concerned about themselves and their families and their own personal relationship with Jesus. Jesus wanted them to see clearly that he was there for everyone. He did that by making the Scriptures clear in a way it hadn’t before.
There are so many false assumptions today about Jesus. Some see him as a lawgiver, the one who will tell me how to live my life so that I can be more successful or happier. People look at Jesus as being all about their definition of love, someone who healed the sick and fed the hungry. Still others see Jesus as a rebel who overcame the corrupt politics of his day. Some see him as a special decoration you pull out at holidays or a medical insurance card you use only when you are sick.
Jesus is first and foremost our Savior. And the most important thing he came for was not to give you more laws or to point out the failures of the government. He came because of our spiritual failures. It was clear to him that we are sinners who fail each other and God every day. We act in our own self-interest and want Jesus to say just what we want him to say and nothing else. Jesus came not only to preach repentance for these failures but to overcome them. The Scriptures make that crystal clear.
- Our mission is clear. (verses 48-52)
That’s why Jesus came. But what about when he left? What then? What happens after the graduation service is over? At his Ascension, Jesus told them: 48You are witnesses of these things. 49I am going to send you what my Father has promised; but stay in the city until you have been clothed with power from on high.” 50When he had led them out to the vicinity of Bethany, he lifted up his hands and blessed them. 51While he was blessing them, he left them and was taken up into heaven. 52Then they worshiped him and returned to Jerusalem with great joy. 53And they stayed continually at the temple, praising God.
Jesus did not train his disciples to be better tax collectors or fishermen or doctors. He didn’t train them to be better fathers or husbands. They were going to be all those things, but it wasn’t their first priority. While they were being those things, they were going to be what he DID train them to be – his witnesses.
They were uniquely qualified to show who Jesus was through the Scriptures. They were also uniquely qualified to tell others about the nail holes and the spear wound. They had touched him and had eaten with him after he rose.
They also were uniquely qualified to glorify this ascended Jesus through the example they set in their lives and as the importance they put on worshiping him. He didn’t take them up the mount of Ascension for the experience. They needed to be clear about what was next.
That is why you and I are here. God has gifted us to do many things on this earth, not the least of which is to provide for our families, train our children, and be good stewards of the blessings he has shared with us. But none of them is our mission in life. Our mission is to be witnesses of the nail marks and the spear wound. Our mission is to proclaim Jesus in our words and with our lives and by worshiping and praising him.
This is the road map for what’s next. We are his witnesses. IT’S ALL CLEAR NOW. Amen.
