50Then he led them out as far as Bethany, and lifting up his hands he blessed them. 51While he blessed them, he parted from them and was carried up into heaven. (Luke 24)
9And when he had said these things, as they were looking on, he was lifted up, and a cloud took him out of their sight. 10And while they were gazing into heaven as he went, behold, two men stood by them in white robes, 11and said, “Men of Galilee, why do you stand looking into heaven? This Jesus, who was taken up from you into heaven, will come in the same way as you saw him go into heaven.” (Acts 1)
Finish this sentence:
“My life is….”
stressful, busy, a mess?
good, blessed, a joy?
However you may answer, I think we can agree on one thing: it’s not a hard question to begin to answer. If there’s one thing I think about a lot, it’s my life,
my day,
my feelings,
my health
my family,
even my church, you.
Thursday was Ascension of which we are considering today and Ascension Day has us doing something we could all do a little more of and that is:
looking up.
There’s a story in the Gospel of Luke about a woman Jesus saw who had a disabling spirit for 18 years. She was bent over and could not fully straighten herself. (Luke 13:11)
That’s us without Jesus.
We have a disabling spirit that keeps us looking on things below,
keeps us saying my life, my family, my stuff, my health, my money,
keeps us thinking about ourselves,
keeps our minds set on things below,
keeps our minds set on the things of our flesh and our desires.
When Jesus sees this woman, He called her over and said to her, “Woman, you are freed from your disability.” And He laid His hands on her, and immediately she was made straight, and she glorified God. (Luke 13:12-13)
There’s a miracle of Ascension Day, a miracle of us looking up, of us setting our minds on things above, that we shouldn’t miss.
Christ is the one who straightened us.
Christ is the one who freed us.
Christ is the one who gave and gives us His Spirit so near that we might set on our mind on the things of the Spirit, which is freedom and life and peace and not on the things of the flesh which is death (Romans 8)
For God has done what the law, weakened by the flesh, could not do. By sending His own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh and for sin (Romans 8:3)
God did for this woman what the law.
The law would have said to this woman, straighten yourself up, free yourself, lift yourself up, get rid of your own disabling spirit.
But Jesus does not tell her to do that –
He frees her,
He lifts her up,
He straightens her and she then glorifies God.
That is to say, she lifts God up.
Ascension Day has us looking up,
glorifying God,
beginning again to see His power and reign and majesty and immenseness.
the immeasurable greatness of His power toward us who believe (Eph. 1:19),
Christ seated at the right hand in the heavenly places, far above all rule and authority and power and dominion, and above every name that is named, not only in this age, but also in the one to come (Eph. 1:20-21).
All kings of the earth have their reign ended when they die. Christ’s reign as God and man began after He died, and rose from the dead and ascended.
There He sits, ruling.
He is above all, over all.
King of kings.
The death of death.
The bondage of sin.
The captor of the devil.
The defeater of those who abuse power.
The end of the laws accusations.
And as He began His reign, hear again the last image of the resurrected Lord Jesus.
50Then he led them out as far as Bethany, and lifting up his hands he blessed them. 51While he blessed them, he parted from them and was carried up into heaven. (Luke 24)
He lifted up His hands and He blessed them.
That’s what Jesus wants to do with His hands and as He began His reign.
He could have used His hands to grab them and throw them in the prison of hell, as He could do the same for us.
We break His law. We are criminals. We deserve punishment.
Our sinful, selfish, inclination to say my life,
my stuff, my, me, mine.
Our sinful, selfish inclination to set our mind on things below, to be only concerned about my life, my health, my stuff,
to only want to fulfill my desires,
to slander others and speak poorly about them,
to have anger and wrath,
to have sexual passions outside of husbands for their wives and wives for their husbands,
to lie to one another,
to covet, O, to covet. St Paul calls it idolatry.
To say, “I want, I want, I want,” is not to recognize that “He gives, He gives, He gives,” and if He hasn’t give you that or this or He hasn’t made you the way you want to be, then just trust Him.
Jesus could have justly lifted up His hands and said “Away from me, you workers of evil.”
Or could have grabbed us with His hands and thrown us into prison, forever.
But instead, the hands the He lifted up on Ascension Day to bless them were first lifted up on a cross to pay for our debts.
They were first bound and led away to judgment so that we could be free.
Jesus first received the curse we deserve so that His hands could bless the disciples that day and you could receive His blessing again this day.
While we too often think “my life, my life, my life,” He was thinking, “your life, your eternal life with Him, your present life of joy receive from Him that no one can take away.”
So God in His Word now promises that you have already died, and your life is hidden with Christ in God. And when Christ who is your life appears, then you also will appear with Him in glory. (Colossians 3)
So say this, dear saints.
My life is Christ.
My life is hidden with Christ in God.
My life is protected, covered, hidden.
The picture is when the devil comes to accuse you, he doesn’t know where you are, because you are hidden in Christ.
And when eternal death is looking for you, it doesn’t know where you are, because you are hidden in Christ.
He ascended, your life is hidden in Him, far above all things you think hurt you and harm you.
Your life is safe. Everything eternal about you is safe.
Christ is ascended. No one can touch Him. The death He died, He died once, for all.
And you are in Him. You are hidden in Him.
You died. You rose. You are baptized. You will ascend with Him.
So set your mind where you already in a mysterious way are.
Set your mind on things above – where Christ is.
Look up.
And look here.
Ascension Day has us looking up and looking to where He has promised.
Christ opened the disciples minds to understand the Scriptures. (Luke 24:45)
Look there.
Jesus said Thus it is written, that the Christ should suffer and on the third day rise from the dead, and that repentance and forgiveness of sins should be proclaimed in His name.
Look there. Repent of your selfish, curved in on self, mind on thing below and receive forgiveness and freedom.
Christ vanished from their sight which reminds of the time He took bread and broke it and gave it to some disciples and then vanished from their sight.
Look here for forgiveness and freedom.
He’s there and he’s here.
The Book of Acts which records Jesus’ Ascension begins with the sentence that the book of Luke all about what Jesus began to do and teach.
Jesus is still doing and teaching.
He’s there and he’s here.
St. Mark records Jesus’ ascension and says after the apostles went out and preached everywhere while the Lord worked with them.
He’s for you, not against you. He’s with you, not away from you. He’s ruling, not ignoring you. He’s powerful but to fight for you.
And He works with you.
So as we look up, we see Christ blessing us and also having us look around to His world He is ruling for us to have compassionate hearts, kindness, humility, and patience, bearing with one another, forgiving one another, as the Lord has forgiven you.
Your life, dear saints, is hidden up there with Christ in God and your life is also Christ hidden in your loving others.