Meeting Jesus - The ascension
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, meaning at some point you made the decision to trust your life to Jesus. 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 your accepted him as your Savior.
That only happened because, like we see in verse 45…
GOD HAS OPENED YOUR MIND TO UNDERSTAND THE BIBLE
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 these five books of the bible memorized…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 truly get it.
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 taken place. God has opened your mind to understand the hope found in the Bible. Be encouraged! He Loves you, he chose to open your mind and showed you how to apply HIS TRUTH to your life. You have been FORGIVEN.
And we also see in this passage…
FORGIVENESS IS DEMONSTRATED THROUGH CHANGE
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 get confused about the word repentance.
They live their lives thinking repentance is living a life filled with remorse and 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.” 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 immediately stop doing, and other sins it may take some time, but the difference is…
There has been an inward change because you have been forgiven.
The word FORGIVEN is actually a mathematical term. 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 individuals name and amount due. It was erased. It was as though it never existed in the first place. The person that owed that money was no longer in bondage 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.
LOWER THIRDS:
LIVE UNDER THE INFLUENCE OF THE HOLY SPIRIT
This is the amazing part of Christianity. When you received forgiveness for your sin, you also received the Holy Spirit.
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 together 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. When I grew 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 of brick, steel, and drywall. The house of the Holy Spirit is reserved for God’s most incredible creation – you and I. 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 a decision that you made, 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, or to serve, or to invite others to worship with you. Let the Holy Spirit guide you in your generosity and in your relationships. So, since God has opened your mind, since you have been changed, and since you now have the Holy Spirit. You can live under the influence of the Holy Spirit! That means…
JESUS BLESSED OTHERS, AND SO CAN YOU
Luke 24:50 (NLT2)
50 Then Jesus led them to Bethany, and lifting his hands to heaven, he blessed them.
That 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. And Father Carmine said a prayer in Italian and made the sign of the cross. We say God Bless you when somebody sneezes. BUT what does it mean to biblically bless others? I want to encourage you to write this down.
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 gets 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. He thanked them. He 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 he certainly could have – instead he focused on using his words to cause their hearts to swell with joy…not just joy – GREAT JOY. Typically is somebody is saying goodbye to a loved one…because they are 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 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, 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 other people. 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? Anybody can be a critic, anybody can point out things about others that they feel are wrong – but followers of Jesus can see the positive about people and love others with the love of Jesus and speak well of them.