Life With Jesus is Way Better; the Ascension (Acts 7:54-60)
Gary McManus, 06/01/2014Part of the Life With Jesus is Better series, preached at a Sunday Morning service
See also Acts 1:3, Acts 1:6-11, Acts 6:8-15
The Bible tells us that Jesus was with the
Disciples for forty days following His
resurrection. (And he taught them about
the Kingdom.) Then Jesus went to the
Heavenly Father. That is Jesus’ ascension.
Pastor recently read that the Ascension is
one of the most difficult ideas to preach
upon. So, pray for Pastor and one another
that we all be blessed through the message.
Here is the actual scene of the Ascension
from Acts 1: 3, 6-11
Side note here: there was a beginning and there
will be an end. God was in charge of the beginning
and God is in charge of the end.
Luke uses four DIFFERENT words (in Greek)
to talk about Jesus “going.”
Carried up (Luke 24:51)
Jesus was. . . taken up (Acts 1:.9)
Going up (Acts 1:10)
Taken from or received up (Acts 1:11)
There isn’t a lot of drama here.
But notice what is said:
Jesus will return to this earth AND
Jesus will return to the earth in the same way
that Jesus left the earth.
(more on this later)
Jesus is going to the Heavenly Father.
This is recorded in the Bible SEVEN times.
.Jesus said, I am going to the Father!
(John 14:2, John 14:12, John 14:28, John 16:10,
John 16:17. John 16:28)
Jesus, completely God, has come FROM God.
Jesus, completely God and man returns to God.
We HOPE to go to the Heavenly Father.
How is that possible? Because Jesus did.
[See 1 Thessalonians 4:16-18, Romans 6:3-5]
Stephen is enabled to LOOK into heaven.
Stephen SEES Jesus and Stephen
RECOGNIZES Jesus.
Jesus has a form.
(Jews and so would Greeks have been scandalized
by what Stephen saw.)
And now that Jesus is next to God,
we have an advocate. (1 John 2:1-2)
(Check other translations:
Contemporary English Version,
Living Bible,
New Living Translation. )
Satan is the prosecuting attorney.
(Job 1, Revelation 12:10)
This scene in Acts shows us that
all we have been taught is true:
Jesus resurrection, our resurrection,
Jesus’ ascension, our ascension,
Jesus’ payment for our sins and
therefore the one who will advocate
our case before the Heavenly Father.
Someday, we, also, like Stephen,
will be welcomed into the presence
of the Heavenly Father. Amen.
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