The Ascension
Last week, we examined the Resurrection, and this week, we will examine Jesus's ascension.
Let’s read together:
Luke 24:36-53 (NLT2)
36 And just as they were telling about it, Jesus himself was suddenly standing there among them. “Peace be with you,” he said. 37 But the whole group was startled and frightened, thinking they were seeing a ghost! 38 “Why are you frightened?” he asked. “Why are your hearts filled with doubt? 39 Look at my hands. Look at my feet. You can see that it’s really me. Touch me and make sure that I am not a ghost, because ghosts don’t have bodies, as you see that I do.” 40 As he spoke, he showed them his hands and his feet. 41 Still they stood there in disbelief, filled with joy and wonder. Then he asked them, “Do you have anything here to eat?” 42 They gave him a piece of broiled fish, 43 and he ate it as they watched. 44 Then he said, “When I was with you before, I told you that everything written about me in the law of Moses and the prophets and in the Psalms must be fulfilled.” 45 Then he opened their minds to understand the Scriptures. 46 And he said, “Yes, it was written long ago that the Messiah would suffer and die and rise from the dead on the third day. 47 It was also written that this message would be proclaimed in the authority of his name to all the nations, beginning in Jerusalem: ‘There is forgiveness of sins for all who repent.’ 48 You are witnesses of all these things. 49 “And now I will send the Holy Spirit, just as my Father promised. But stay here in the city until the Holy Spirit comes and fills you with power from heaven.” 50 Then Jesus led them to Bethany, and lifting his hands to heaven, he blessed them. 51 While he was blessing them, he left them and was taken up to heaven. 52 So they worshiped him and then returned to Jerusalem filled with great joy. 53 And they spent all of their time in the Temple, praising God.
If you are a follower of Jesus, you made the decision to trust your life to Jesus at some point. If you surrendered your life to God, you understood that Jesus died on the cross to pay the penalty for your sin, you asked him to forgive you, and you accepted him as your Savior.
That only happened because, as we see in verse 45…
GOD HAS OPENED YOUR MIND TO UNDERSTAND THE BIBLE v. 45
The disciples had seen Jesus do some pretty amazing things. He healed people who were disfigured. He fixed the sight of people who were blind. He healed the deaf, and they could hear. Over and over, he healed people with diseases.
Miracle. After Miracle. After Miracle.
Now, in order for his disciples to become fully convinced that Jesus was truly the Savior that the Old Testament prophets had prophesied about, Jesus opened their minds. These disciples had heard the Old Testament prophecy. In fact, by the age of 10, boys had to have memorized the first five books of the Old Testament. Genesis. Exodus. Leviticus. Numbers. Deuteronomy. In the Jewish language, that was roughly 80,000 words! Most likely, these men had memorized these five books of the Bible, and they attended the synagogues each week to worship God and hear the teaching of God’s word on the Sabbath.
But even though they had memorized 80,000 words. Even though they attended the synagogue for worship every week of their lives. Even though they spent roughly three years with Jesus. They were still limited in their understanding of scripture. They knew God created them. They knew that Adam and Eve chose to sin, and sin entered the world. They knew that all descendants of Adam and Eve sinned. They knew THEY were sinners…and they knew they were separated from God…but they did not UNDERSTAND why JESUS died on the cross and rose from the dead.
They heard but did not understand. They HEARD but did not truly get it. Hey, parents, does that remind you of anybody?
We spend half our time parenting, reminding our children of what we have already told them to do. But honestly, our kids get it from us! It is a common problem throughout the history of man.
Ezekiel 12:2 (NLT2)
2 “Son of man, you live among rebels who have eyes but refuse to see. They have ears but refuse to hear. For they are a rebellious people.
I grew up Catholic. I understood that God created me. I understood Jesus paid the price for sin on the cross. I understood he rose from the dead. But nothing in me changed until God opened my mind to understand how to surrender my life to Jesus. If you have surrendered your life to Jesus, it is only because a miracle has occurred. God has opened your mind to understand the hope found in the Bible, that means God loves you and has chosen to open your mind to HIS TRUTH about your life. You have been FORGIVEN.
And we also see in this passage…
FORGIVENESS IS DEMONSTRATED THROUGH CHANGE v. 47
In verse 47, Jesus said, “There is forgiveness of sin for all who repent.”
REPENTANCE and FORGIVENESS are two separate words that communicate one idea. Some people need clarification about the word repentance. They live their lives thinking repentance means living a life filled with remorse, guilt, and shame from their past. They don’t allow themselves to become the person God has created them to be because they do not understand what repentance actually is. Repentance is simply a “change in direction.”
Suppose you are in your car on the 501 headed to Conway. But instead of going west on the 501, you are driving east! Instead of heading to Conway, you are driving to the Coast. You must change your direction to arrive in Conway. If you want to get to Conway before you drive into the Ocean, you make a UTURN and change your direction…
That is what it means to REPENT. When you repent and surrender your life to Jesus, you make a UTURN in life. If you have been forgiven, you will WANT to please God.
You will show signs that you reject the sinful lifestyle you have been living, and you will stop doing those things. Some things you will stop doing immediately, and other sins may take some time, but the difference is…but there has been an inward change because you have been forgiven.
The word FORGIVEN is actually a mathematical term.
In the days of Jesus, when an individual borrowed money from a lender, their name was written down in a book or ledger. As the person made payments on what he owed, the payment was subtracted, and a new balance would be recorded. But if the lender FORGAVE the debt, they would open the book, find the name, and completely blot out that individual's name and amount due. It was erased. It was as though it never existed in the first place. The person who owed that money was no longer bound to the lender. They were no longer loaded down with debt…they were free.
God has dealt with sin the same way. If you have surrendered your life to Christ and received Jesus as your Savior, it is now as though your sin had never existed in the first place. Your sin has been erased through the sacrifice of Jesus. Your sin has been removed from existence. You do not need to live like you are still loaded down with the guilt and the weight of your past lives. You have been set free. So live like it. Embrace the freedom that God has given to you through Jesus. Demonstrate the freedom of forgiveness through a visible change in your life.
LIVE UNDER THE INFLUENCE OF THE HOLY SPIRIT v.49
This is the fantastic part of what happens when you become a follower of Jesus. When you receive forgiveness for your sins, you also receive the Holy Spirit. Jesus told his disciples he was sending the promise of his Father to the disciples and for them to…
Luke 24:49 (NLT2)
49 “And now I will send the Holy Spirit, just as my Father promised. But stay here in the city until the Holy Spirit comes and fills you with power from heaven.”
We see this incredible promise fulfilled in Acts 2. After Jesus ascended into heaven, these men and women gathered in a room. They were praying, then…
Acts 2:2-6 (NLT2)
2 Suddenly, there was a sound from heaven like the roaring of a mighty windstorm, and it filled the house where they were sitting. 3 Then, what looked like flames or tongues of fire appeared and settled on each of them. 4 And everyone present was filled with the Holy Spirit…
If you are new to following Jesus, please understand. The HOLY SPIRIT of God does not live inside a church building, a statue, or a painting on the wall. The Holy Spirit of God lives inside YOU. Growing up, I was told the church building was God’s House.
I had to speak reverently and quietly. I had to dress nice. I couldn’t wear a hat. I was told to behave in God’s HOUSE. I now know that God does not live inside brick, steel, and drywall. The house of the Holy Spirit is reserved for God’s most incredible creation—you and me.
What a blessing to know that we are not abandoned and left to figure out life on our own! You have been changed not through your decision but through the indwelling power of the Holy Spirit. Lean into the presence of the Holy Spirit in your life. Let Him Guide you to be baptized, serve, or invite others to worship with you. Let the Holy Spirit guide you in your generosity and your relationships.
So, since God opened your mind, you have been changed and now have the Holy Spirit. You can live under the influence of the Holy Spirit! That means…
JESUS BLESSED OTHERS, AND SO CAN YOU. v. 50
Luke 24:50 (NLT2)
50 Then Jesus led them to Bethany, and lifting his hands to heaven, he blessed them.
The word BLESSED can be hard to understand. I was an altar boy. I remember the Priest taking Holy Water and flicking it on people in the church – and they considered that a blessing.
In the movie Rocky…right before his big fight, Rocky asks Father Carmine for a blessing. Father Carmine says a prayer in Italian and makes the sign of the cross. We say God Bless you when somebody sneezes. But what does it mean to bless others biblically?
A BLESSING means: TO SPEAK WELL OF, TO THANK, OR TO ASK GOD’S FAVOR UPON AN INDIVIDUAL.
So, as Jesus was leaving, he wasn’t telling his disciples that they better have their rooms clean when he got back home. He did not threaten to punish them if they did something wrong while he was gone. Before he ascended into Heaven, Jesus spoke well of his disciples, thanked them, and asked God’s favor upon them.
He BLESSED them through ENCOURAGEMENT. He Spoke words of LIFE over them. He didn’t point out all their flaws – and certainly could have – instead, he focused on using his words to cause their hearts to swell with joy…not just joy – GREAT JOY. Typically when somebody is saying goodbye to a loved one headed out for a long trip, moving away, or even passing from this life…most don’t waste their breath being critical. Some might. But most people will not waste their being critical and talking about how much their loved ones have disappointed them.
It reminds me of the Seinfeld episode in which Frank Costanza creates a holiday called Festivus, and at the Festivus dinner, he goes around the table and tells everybody why he is sick of them! The sad truth is that while many people may not have a Festivus tradition like that, many choose to live every day like that.
They use their words to criticize, tear down, and destroy others.
They use their words and influence to hurt others…and who knows why?
WORDS of BLESSING can bring great JOY to others.
Don’t you feel good when others speak well of you?
Don’t you feel good when somebody goes out of their way to say THANK YOU to you and appreciate and value you?
So, let's model our lives after Jesus and bless others, encourage them, and say words that will help them, not destroy them.
Easter - 2024
Growing up, my family had a tradition in which the Easter Bunny had hidden our Easter Basket filled with candy around the house, and we had to find it. Sometimes, the baskets were hidden so well that I was certain The Easter Bunny had forgotten about me.
Every Easter, Kristy hides Easter Eggs in the yard, and the girls search for plastic eggs filled with money, candies, and jellybeans.
Can you imagine explaining Easter egg hunts to someone who's never heard of them before? 'So, we celebrate the resurrection... by hiding chocolate eggs... laid by a bunny? Perspective can make our traditions seem a bit quirky. Have you ever noticed that we all respond differently to events?
For instance, if your wife gets a speeding ticket, some husbands will get mad, and some of you will laugh at her. Wives, If your husband stubs his toe or steps on a Lego in the middle of the night, some wives will laugh, others will hide their giggle, and some won’t wake up. We have different responses to almost everything, including the most incredible event in history, the resurrection of Jesus. Some people respond with belief. Some people respond with disbelief. Some people may not care one way or another.
Today, we celebrate Easter, and I think people respond to the resurrection of Jesus the exact same way. Some refuse to believe. Some have doubts. Some fully believe. That is precisely how it was at the time of the resurrection. Many of the followers of Jesus did not believe he had risen from the dead. Even after they talked with him, they still struggled to believe he was actually alive. Today, we will examine Luke 24 and discover how those who did not believe Jesus had risen came to the conclusion that he was indeed alive.
We will do that because you may relate to the people who could not believe that Jesus was alive, and I want to help you move from unbelief or ambivalence to belief and faith in Jesus. So, Let’s read about the events that happened three days after Jesus had been killed on the cross and buried in a tomb.
Luke 24:1-11 (NLT2)
1 But very early on Sunday morning, the women went to the tomb, taking the spices they had prepared. 2 They found that the stone had been rolled away from the entrance. 3 So they went in, but they didn’t find the body of the Lord Jesus. 4 As they stood there puzzled, two men suddenly appeared to them, clothed in dazzling robes. 5 The women were terrified and bowed with their faces to the ground. Then the men asked, “Why are you looking among the dead for someone who is alive? 6 He isn’t here! He is risen from the dead! Remember what he told you back in Galilee, 7 that the Son of Man must be betrayed into the hands of sinful men and be crucified, and that he would rise again on the third day.” 8 Then they remembered that he had said this. 9 So they rushed back from the tomb to tell his eleven disciples—and everyone else—what had happened. 10 It was Mary Magdalene, Joanna, Mary the mother of James, and several other women who told the apostles what had happened. 11 But the story sounded like nonsense to the men, so they didn’t believe it.
“Very early on Sunday morning, the women went to the tomb.”
Now, I don’t know about you, but getting anywhere very early on a Sunday is miraculous in itself, especially if you have kids. It makes sense to me that if anybody ever wanted Jesus to be alive – it would have been the men who followed him for three years of their lives. When somebody you love dies tragically and suddenly, you miss them and want them to be alive. The disciples aren’t any different. This wasn’t a long, drawn-out battle with cancer or disease. One moment, Jesus was healthy and enjoying dinner with his closest friends; the next moment, he was arrested and murdered. They saw him work miracles and change lives. They ate with him, learned from him, and saw the hope he brought to people.
I am sure they wanted Jesus to be alive more than anybody. Yet,
THE DISCIPLES REFUSED TO BELIEVE.
The word Luke used in verse 11 that describes where the friends of Jesus were on their journey to belief was:
Apisteo (aw pis tay o:) to have no belief, to disbelieve
The disciple's first response was not “Hurray! He is alive!”
Their first response was, “No way! That’s not possible!”
They thought the women were nuts! They refused to believe Jesus was alive. That may be where you are today.
You believe Jesus existed, that he did good things, and that you may even appreciate what he taught about forgiving others, loving those who do not deserve it, and the kindness and compassion he showed. You believe that he was put to death by execution on the cross…but like the disciple’s early response, you refuse to believe that Jesus rose from the dead.
It is important to note that the disciples changed. Their minds were changed. They went from “refusing to believe” to fully surrendering to Jesus.
How did they get there?
Well, between verses 12 and 36, Jesus made a few special appearances.
Jesus appeared to a couple of men walking down a road and talked with them.
Then he appeared to Peter.
Then he appeared to his disciples to show them the nails in his hands and feet.
And the disciples got together, and they were talking about it. Jesus appeared to me, me too! He showed us his hands and feet…We had an entire conversation with him…
Luke 24:36-41 shows us that the disciples moved from refusing to believe that Jesus was alive…they conceded a little ground…
And now…
THE DISCIPLES DESIRED TO BELIEVE (v. 38, 41)
Luke 24:36-41A (NLT2)
36 And just as they were telling about it, Jesus himself was suddenly standing there among them. “Peace be with you,” he said. 37 But the whole group was startled and frightened, thinking they were seeing a ghost! 38 “Why are you frightened?” he asked. “Why are your hearts filled with doubt? 39 Look at my hands. Look at my feet. You can see that it’s really me. Touch me and make sure that I am not a ghost, because ghosts don’t have bodies, as you see that I do.” 40 As he spoke, he showed them his hands and his feet. 41 Still they stood there in disbelief, filled with joy and wonder…
When Jesus said, “Why are your hearts filled with doubt?” He used the word:
Dialogismos (dē-ä-lo-gē-smoss): the thinking of a man deliberating with himself. A deliberating, questioning about what is true. Hesitation, doubting, disputing, arguing.
They desired to believe. They made eye contact with Jesus. They saw the wounds on his hands and feet. They wanted to believe, but they were torn by what they saw happened to Jesus at the cross. Their resistance to embrace the TRUTH of Jesus being alive reinforces the suffering and brutality of the cross. Before Jesus was arrested in the Garden, he had been pleading with God to find another way to bring forgiveness to mankind rather than face the brutality of the cross.
Luke 22:42 (NLT2)
“Father, if you are willing, please take this cup of suffering away from me. Yet I want your will to be done, not mine.”
We do not understand the phrase “cup of suffering” the way the Jewish people did back then. In the Old Testament, “the cup” is often used as a metaphor for the wrath of God.
Isaiah 51:17 (NLT)
17 Wake up, wake up, O Jerusalem! You have drunk the cup of the LORD’s fury. You have drunk the cup of terror, tipping out its last drops.
Jeremiah 25:15 (NLT)15 This is what the LORD, the God of Israel, said to me: “Take from my hand this cup filled to the brim with my anger, and make all the nations to whom I send you drink from it.
Habakkuk 2:16 (NLT)
16 But soon it will be your turn to be disgraced. Come, drink, and be exposed! Drink from the cup of the LORD’s judgment, and all your glory will be turned to shame.
Isaiah called it a cup of terror. Jeremiah called it a cup filled to the brim with God’s anger. Habakkuk called it a cup of the Lord’s Judgement.
Throughout the Bible, we see glimpses of God’s Wrath:
God’s Anger over sin is seen in the great flood that destroyed the earth…
God’s wrath destroys Sodom and Gomorrah with fire and brimstone.
God’s wrath is seen in the 10 Plagues upon Egypt.
It was not the physical agony of the beatings, the scourging, and the crucifixion that Jesus dreaded. It was the spiritual agony He would experience as he drank every last drop of God’s wrath that we deserved.
The Disciples watched the physical brutality of the cross. They watched the flesh ripped from his back through the scourging. They heard his final words and watched him breathe his final breath. They saw his dead body. They knew NO MAN was going to come back from that.
If you have heard the message that Jesus is ALIVE over and over yet walk away with doubt, understand that the very same men followed Jesus! Jesus stood in the same room. They made eye contact with Jesus, yet they STILL had doubts! They wanted to believe, but they just couldn't because of what they had already seen.
Is that you? Maybe you really would like to believe that Jesus is alive – but because of the troubles, difficulties, and emptiness you have experienced in this world, you struggle with accepting. If the disciples who walked and talked with Jesus after he was resurrected struggled with believing – it is understandable that 2,000 years later, men and women struggle with fully believing in Jesus as Savior and Lord. Let’s look one more time in Luke 24, and we will discover that…
THE DISCIPLES FULLY BELIEVED, AND THEIR LIVES WERE CHANGED
Luke 24:45-47 (NLT2)
45 Then he opened their minds to understand the Scriptures. 46 And he said, “Yes, it was written long ago that the Messiah would suffer and die and rise from the dead on the third day. 47 It was also written that this message would be proclaimed in the authority of his name to all the nations, beginning in Jerusalem: ‘There is forgiveness of sins for all who repent.’
What did it take for these men to have faith? The same thing still required today. For us to believe in JESUS as SAVIOR – God must open our minds to believe. If you have repeatedly heard about Jesus’ death and resurrection yet still have doubts or think, “So what? That is not going to change anything about my life...”
I want you to understand why you think that way. The Apostle Paul tells us why some people do not believe:
2 Corinthians 4:4 (NLT2)
4 Satan, who is the god of this world, has blinded the minds of those who don’t believe. They are unable to see the glorious light of the Good News. They don’t understand this message about the glory of Christ...
So, if you desire to believe, ask God to open your mind to believe. Ask God to remove the blindfold preventing you from becoming a follower of Jesus. You can ask him right now.
“God, please remove the blindfold on my mind. If Jesus did rise from the dead, that changes everything. I would like to believe, but I need you to open my mind.”
Take a moment right now. In your own words, say, “ God, open my mind to understand Jesus.”
Then, in verse 46, Jesus taught them that the Savior of the World would have to suffer and die. God opened their minds, and they understood now that Jesus was the Savior who endured the “cup of suffering for all people” so that mankind might never have to experience God’s wrath again.
They understood the words that Jesus told them in John 3:16:
John 3:16 (NLT2)
16 “For God loved the world so much that he gave his one and only Son, so that everyone who believes in him will not perish but have eternal life.
Maybe at this moment, God has opened your mind to understand Jesus. Maybe something has clicked, and you understand how much God loves you. In verse 47, Jesus said, “There is forgiveness of sin for all who repent.”
The word that Jesus used for “repent” communicates a shift or change in thinking. The Disciples SHIFTED their thoughts about Jesus. This was the moment they put their DISBELIEF behind them—they chose to believe that Jesus was alive and that he had died for their sins, and they fully believed by surrendering their lives to him through repentance.
To repent – you, too, must have that SHIFT in your thinking. If you would like to repent, be forgiven for your sins, and become a follower of Jesus today, pray this with me:
God,
I believe that Jesus suffered for my disobedience on the cross and died.
I believe he rose from the dead; he is now with you in Heaven
and will return to earth one day.
I surrender my life to you as my Savior.
Thank you for forgiving my sin and changing my life.
In Jesus name, Amen.