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The Theology of Christ’s Ascension: Part 1
John 16:5 “But now I am going to Him who sent Me; yet none of you asks Me, ‘Where are You going?’ 6 “But because I have said these things to you, sorrow has filled your heart. 7 “But I tell you the truth, it is to your advantage that I go away; for if I do not go away, the Helper shall not come to you; but if I go, I will send Him to you.
Introduction
This morning as we come preparing to celebrate Christ’s Ascension later this week, I want us to take a moment to understand the importance of the Ascension.
Now the reason is, that too often, we as the people of God, rush straight from the Resurrection right to Pentecost and all but ignore the Ascension. However, if we stop and listen to Scripture what we find is that the blessings of Pentecost are the direct result of the Ascension. In fact, in the passage we just read, Jesus says that without the Ascension there would be no Pentecost.
Therefore, this morning I want us to ask two basic questions
A] The Ascension serves as an Explanation: The ascension provides a public explanation to the question, “where is the living Christ now?”
John 16:28 “I came from the Father, and entered the world; now I am leaving the world, and going back to the Father.”
B] The Ascension underscores the completion of salvation (both the payment owed by us and all that is required of us)
Hebrews 10:11 And every priest stands daily ministering and offering time after time the same sacrifices, which can never take away sins; 12 but He, having offered one sacrifice for sins for all time, SAT DOWN AT THE RIGHT HAND OF GOD,
However, if we stop there, we will miss some very crucial aspects of the Ascension. Not only that, we will leave the vital connection between the Ascension and the coming of the Holy Spirit ambiguous at best. So what are these crucial aspects of the Ascension, why is the Ascension such a big deal, and what is the relationship between the Ascension and Pentecost?
C] The Ascension as Presentation: Simply put, Christ ascends to heaven in order to present Himself and the new life He accomplished to God. [Notice then the progression: the Cross paid the full price of sin; the Resurrection is proof that the payment was accepted; and the Ascension is the presentation of this salvation to God on behalf of all believers].
Notice then the point: it is not enough that a payment is available. It’s not enough that that payment is sufficient and acceptable to cover the cost. The payment actually has to be given to the one to whom it is owed.
Importance: notice at once, when we turn to the very heart of the Old Testament sacrificial system and the picture that God provides there of the salvation that Christ was coming to accomplish, we find this very same pattern: a sacrifice is made, it is deemed acceptable, and then it is presented to God.
Leviticus 16:15 “And Aaron shall slaughter the goat of the sin offering which is for the people, * and then bring its blood inside the veil, * and do with its blood as he did with the blood of the bull, and sprinkle it on the mercy seat and in front of the mercy seat
In other words, the sacrifice made and accepted is presented to God and is before God.
Notice then when we turn to the New Testament, we find that Christ perfectly fulfills this very pattern of redemption (in other words, this pattern is the salvation that Christ accomplished).
Hebrews 9:11 But when Christ appeared as high priest of the good things to come, He entered the greater and more perfect tabernacle, not made with hands, that is to say, not of this creation; 12 and not with the blood of goats and calves, but with His own blood, He entered the holy place once for all, having obtained eternal redemption. [see also Heb 9:24]
Bottom line: The Ascension is the presentation of the completed work of salvation to God on our behalf.
D] The Ascension as Application FN#1: the Ascension means that Christ, our sacrifice and new life, is continually before God on our behalf. The result is that God now responds to His people in light of Christ and His completed work. As such, at the heart of the Ascension is the idea that the new life Christ accomplished and then presented is now applied to His people FN#2.
Importance: once again we see this very pattern promised in the heart of the Old Testament
Leviticus 16:21 “Then Aaron shall lay both of his hands on the head of the live goat, and confess over it all the iniquities of the sons of Israel, and all their transgressions in regard to all their sins; and he shall lay them on the head of the goat and send it away into the wilderness.
Importance: Lev 16:21 is a reenactment, an enacted parable, done in full view of all the people of the transaction that just took place behind the veil in 16:15.
Notice then the message: God now deals with His people in terms of the accepted sacrifice just presented to Him and not their sins.
Notice once again, that Christ is the fulfillment of this Old Testament pattern:
Hebrews 9:24 For Christ did not enter a holy place made with hands, a mere copy of the true one, but into heaven itself, now to appear in the presence of God for us;
Bottom line: The salvation accomplished on the Cross, accepted in the Resurrection, and presented at the Ascension is now applied to God’s people. How do we know?
E] Pentecost is Proof– Pentecost is the proof that God now deals with His people in terms of Christ’s sacrifice. How? On Pentecost God poured out His Holy Spirit to seal, administer, and apply the new life to His people.
Titus 3:5 He saved us, not on the basis of deeds which we have done in righteousness, but according to His mercy, by the washing of regeneration and renewing by the Holy Spirit,
Bottom line: Pentecost is the fruit (or the direct result) of the Ascension. It is the proof that the salvation accomplished, accepted and presented to the Father has been applied to His people.
Footnotes
1] The ascension is a presentation that results in and is the basis of an application.
More precisely, the ascension is the presentation of the completed work of salvation that results in and is the basis of the application of that salvation to believers.
2] Notice then we see a beautiful picture of this very idea in Revelation 5:6.
Revelation 5:6 And I saw standing between the throne (of God) and the elders (the Church) a Lamb as if slain
Notice the scene: the entire Church (Old and New Testament) is seated in a complete circle around God’s throne. Standing between God’s throne and His people is the sacrificed, risen, and ascended Lamb. Thus, whenever God turns to consider or deal with one of His children, He sees them through the blood of the Lamb. That is He deals with them in terms of Christ’s all sufficient sacrifice.
Subsequently, this is the very same picture presented to us each week at the Lord’s Table. Notice then, God commands us to draw near to Him “In remembrance of me (Christ)”. Why? That is exactly how God draws near to us- in remembrance of, on the basis of, and in terms of Christ’s all sufficient sacrifice. Christ is truly our mediator and the reconciler of man to God.