Jesus’ Ascension into Heaven

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The Sunday After Ascension
Jesus’ Ascension into Heaven
May 16, 2010

TEXT:  (Mark 16:14-20 NKJ)  Later He appeared to the eleven as they sat at the table; and He rebuked their unbelief and hardness of heart, because they did not believe those who had seen Him after He had risen. 15 And He said to them, "Go into all the world and preach the gospel to every creature. 16 "He who believes and is baptized will be saved; but he who does not believe will be condemned. 17 "And these signs will follow those who believe: In My name they will cast out demons; they will speak with new tongues; 18 "they will take up serpents; and if they drink anything deadly, it will by no means hurt them; they will lay hands on the sick, and they will recover." 19 So then, after the Lord had spoken to them, He was received up into heaven, and sat down at the right hand of God. 20 And they went out and preached everywhere, the Lord working with them and confirming the word through the accompanying signs. Amen.
 
Mark’s account of the events of Jesus’ ascension include a concise summary of the events from Easter Eve to Jesus’ ascension 40 days later—Jesus is instructing the disciples—they must carry the Gospel message to the world—He tells them they have what they need—the gifts of the Holy Spirit will come to provide the tools to do the job—after the Lord spoke—He ascended into heaven to be at the right hand of the Father—until He returns again to take us home
 
Consider the situation—the Jews have been watching for centuries for the Messiah—the One who would was promised to Abraham—Isaac—and Jacob—He would be a Son of David—He would come from the Tribe of Judah—He would be a Nazarene--He would be born of a virgin—He would be a King—sitting upon the throne of David forever
 
(Isaiah 9:6-7 NKJ)  For unto us a Child is born, Unto us a Son is given; And the government will be upon His shoulder. And His name will be called Wonderful, Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. 7 Of the increase of His government and peace There will be no end, Upon the throne of David and over His kingdom, To order it and establish it with judgment and justice From that time forward, even forever. The zeal of the LORD of hosts will perform this.
 
The Jews expected a king—and God sent a man born into a poor family—a man without an extra suit of clothes—a man who owned nothing—and yet owned everything—a man who accumulated a rag tag following of disciples who were also poor in the eyes of the world—the Prophet Isaiah provided the Jews a description of the Savior—but they didn’t recognize Him when He came—they had their heart set on a worldly king—a king that would rule Israel as King David had ruled—it is understandable that they would be confused
 
(Jeremiah 23:1-5 NKJ)  "Woe to the shepherds who destroy and scatter the sheep of My pasture!" says the LORD. 2 Therefore thus says the LORD God of Israel against the shepherds who feed My people: "You have scattered My flock, driven them away, and not attended to them. Behold, I will attend to you for the evil of your doings," says the LORD. 3 "But I will gather the remnant of My flock out of all countries where I have driven them, and bring them back to their folds; and they shall be fruitful and increase. 4 "I will set up shepherds over them who will feed them; and they shall fear no more, nor be dismayed, nor shall they be lacking," says the LORD. 5 "Behold, the days are coming," says the LORD, "That I will raise to David a Branch of righteousness; A King shall reign and prosper, And execute judgment and righteousness in the earth.
 
As we consider Jesus’ rebuke of His disciples—it is understandable that they would be hesitant to go tell the world the message of the Gospel—the disciples are Jews—they are poor—and they are having difficulty with their confidence and their courage—they knew the promise that there would be a Savior—and He would come rescue the Jews—but to carry the message of a Savior to those without that promise from God is something that will take courage—even more than courage—that is why Jesus instructs them not to leave Jerusalem until they receive the Holy Spirit—listen to the exchange between Jesus and the disciples—they are confused—they are concerned—they are afraid
 
(Acts 1:4-8 NKJ)  And being assembled together with them, He commanded them not to depart from Jerusalem, but to wait for the Promise of the Father, "which," He said, "you have heard from Me; 5 "for John truly baptized with water, but you shall be baptized with the Holy Spirit not many days from now." 6 Therefore, when they had come together, they asked Him, saying, "Lord, will You at this time restore the kingdom to Israel?" 7 And He said to them, "It is not for you to know times or seasons which the Father has put in His own authority. 8 "But you shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be witnesses to Me in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth."
 
(Luke 24:46-47 NKJ)  Then He said to them, "Thus it is written, and thus it was necessary for the Christ to suffer and to rise from the dead the third day, 47 "and that repentance and remission of sins should be preached in His name to all nations, beginning at Jerusalem.
 
From a Jewish perspective, when the time came for God the Father to send Christ—the Messiah--into the world—wouldn’t God use the great men and high priest of Jerusalem to proclaim His name and project His message?—after all, it is by the Law of Moses that the nation of Israel even exists—how offensive it would be for the Jews to acknowledge the Messiah through the message of these ordinary and unqualified men—they’re not priests—they’re not wealthy—they’re not principal members of society—they’re poor fishermen—despised tax collectors—and totally insignificant—how dare anyone to send them out with the message of salvation—what is God thinking?
 
The evidence of the Savior is clear—but it is being ignored—the Messiah would not be a Priest—He has to be of the Tribe of Judah—priests are members of the Tribe of Levi—the Jews couldn’t see Him—but the heathens understood who He was—both the blind man on the side of the road and the Canaanite woman called Him the Son of David—they were not Jews—but they knew Jesus was sent by God to save us
 
(Luke 18:39 NKJ)  Then those who went before warned him that he should be quiet; but he cried out all the more, "Son of David, have mercy on me!"
 
Matthew 15:22 NKJ)  And behold, a woman of Canaan came from that region and cried out to Him, saying, "Have mercy on me, O Lord, Son of David! My daughter is severely demon-possessed." (
 
In our text, Jesus sends these men out with the commission to tell the whole world that He is the Promised Messiah who has redeemed us
 
TEXT:  (Mark 16:15-16 NKJ)  And He said to them, "Go into all the world and preach the gospel to every creature. 16 "He who believes and is baptized will be saved; but he who does not believe will be condemned.
 
These are the same men who cowered in a room on Easter Eve—locked behind two sets of doors—afraid that the Jews would come and kill them—knowing that the Romans crucified Jesus at the request of the Jews—and now they are instructed to approach those same men and give them the Gospel message of salvation—who could blame them for hesitating?—they had no idea how much power they would have through the Holy Spirit that would dwell within them
 
The Jews boasted that they alone had the promise of God—they alone were God’s people—the Messiah would come through their seed—therefore, Jesus had to send His disciples to preach to every creature—lest the Jews proclaim that you would have to first be a Jew to be part of God’s kingdom—the early Church and the Jews struggled with these issues—but as we can see from the writings of those who carried the Gospel message—any doubts about the Gentiles having access to the kingdom of God were soon removed
 
(Acts 10:45 NKJ)  And those of the circumcision who believed were astonished, as many as came with Peter, because the gift of the Holy Spirit had been poured out on the Gentiles also.
 
(Acts 13:47 NKJ)  "For so the Lord has commanded us:`I have set you as a light to the Gentiles, That you should be for salvation to the ends of the earth.'"
 
(Romans 3:29-31 NKJ)  Or is He the God of the Jews only? Is He not also the God of the Gentiles? Yes, of the Gentiles also, 30 since there is one God who will justify the circumcised by faith and the uncircumcised through faith. 31 Do we then make void the law through faith? Certainly not! On the contrary, we establish the law.
 
(Romans 9:24-26 NKJ)  even us whom He called, not of the Jews only, but also of the Gentiles? 25 As He says also in Hosea: "I will call them My people, who were not My people, And her beloved, who was not beloved." 26 "And it shall come to pass in the place where it was said to them,`You are not My people,' There they shall be called sons of the living God."
 
LUTHER:  “No matter if you are Jew or gentile, master or servant, virgin or husband, monk or layman, if you believe, says Christ, then you are in my kingdom, saved and redeemed from sin and death.”
 
ALL GLORY BE TO GOD!