In his resurrection, Jesus appeared to his disciples, and after spending a short time with them, he ascended into heaven. In this lesson, we will study his ascension by reading two passages. They are Luke 24:50-53 and Acts 1:1-11. Before doing this, however, please do not forget to spend some time praying together, hearing of any troubles or confessions of sin you may have, and helping each other surrender your lives to God. Let us begin with a prayer.
Almighty God, whose blessed Son our Savior Jesus Christ ascended far above all heavens that he might renew all things: Mercifully give us faith to perceive that, according to his promise, he abides with his Church on earth, even to the end of the ages; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, in glory everlasting. Amen.
In Acts 1:1, the writer tells Theophilus that, in his first book, he "dealt with all that Jesus began to do and teach, until the day when he was taken up, after he had given commands through the Holy Spirit to the apostles whom he had chosen." That "first book" is the gospel of Luke. We know this because the writer in Luke 1:4 tells the same Theophilus that he is writing the gospel of Luke so that Theophilus would "have certainty concerning the things you have been taught." Since the same author write Luke and then Acts, the final words of Luke, Luke 24:50-53, fit together naturally with the first words of Acts, Acts 1:1-11. We will read these two together.
Luke 24:50-53 -- Acts 1:1-11
Please read Luke 24:50-53 and Acts 1:1-11 aloud, at least twice, and then answer these questions.
1. What verses in this passage indicate that Jesus was taken up into heaven?
2. Luke 24:50 says that Jesus blessed his disciples. What gestures do you think Jesus used to bless his disciples? What do you think he might have said? To help answer that last question, read Numbers 6:23-27. What do you think it means to be blessed? Hove you ever had anyone bless you? How did they do this and what did they say?
3. When Jesus was raised from the dead, he appeared to the disciples as one who had conquered sin and death. He appeared as the very power and life of God. For that reason, the disciples came to believe that he was God. What in Luke 24:52 would indicate that the disciples thought Jesus was God?
4. What verses indicate that Jesus was taken up into heaven? Since he is in heaven, he is no longer on earth as he was with the disciples in the days of his flesh. The fact that Jesus is ascended into heaven means we no longer see, hear, and touch him as did the original disciples. They saw Christ directly, heard his words daily, saw his crucifixion, witnessed his resurrection, and saw him taken up into heaven. We did not see or hear these things. We only truly know these things because of the testimony of the disciples. As Jesus said to his disciples in Luke 24:48, "You are witnesses of these things," and the church has preserved that witness in Scripture so we would know the Truth and not imagine something different. This means that if you have a revelation, a dream, a vision, a prophetic word, or any impression that is contrary to the testimony of the disciples found in Scripture, you cannot believe of follow it. Nor can we add to the testimony of Scripture with our own ideas of what we human beings must do to be saved. With this in mind, have you ever had any ideas about God that you later discovered were false when you learned the Truth from Scripture? Has any person, church, group, power, spirit, or being, revealed something to you that was contrary to Scripture? Have you ever had a dream, vision, or prophetic word that led you astray? Share these things with your group. Also, take some time and share some of the great things you have learned from Scripture that blessed you.
5. Before going any further, it would be good to say a few more things about the ascension. First, there are many passages of Scripture that teach that when Jesus ascended into heaven, he sat down at the "right hand of God." Here are some of them that you may want to read: Mark 16:19; Luke 22:69; Acts 2:33-34; Acts 7:55-56; Romans 8:34; Ephesians 1:20; Colossians 3:1; Hebrews 1:3, 8:1, and 12:2; and I Peter 3:22. The phrase, "at the right hand of God," means that God has given Jesus all authority in heaven and earth. It is through Jesus that God exercises his authority. In I Peter 3:22, for example, we read that Jesus Christ "has gone into heaven and is at the right hand of God, with angels, authorities, and powers having been subjected to him." In Matthew's gospel, Jesus said to his disciples after his resurrection, "All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me" (Matthew 28:18). This means that Jesus has absolute authority over everything -- sin, death, the devil and his legions, over governments, nations, and all people, over sickness, madness, earthquakes, floods, and all the forces of nature, over time, past, present, future, over everything.
This authority, Jesus' rule over all things, has three important moments.
a. First, Jesus established this authority by his life, death, resurrection, and ascension. In these events, the power of sin and death was broken. Sin, evil, suffering, sorrow, and death remain, but their power is broken. They cannot stand against the gospel of Jesus Christ received in faith.
b. In the world today, Jesus chooses to conquer sin, evil, suffering, and death by the proclamation of the gospel and the work of the Spirit. When, in Acts 1:6, the disciples asked if Jesus was about to restore the Kingdom to Israel, Jesus replied that they would receive the Holy Spirit and be his witnesses. The disciples were expecting a political kingdom for the nation of Israel, but Jesus establishes his Kingdom through the work of his disciples who witness to him in the power of the Spirit. As that witness takes place, the power of sin and death is conquered for those who believe in Jesus and follow him. This happens in this life, but not fully. We still, as described in point five of the previous lesson, are subject to sin and sorrow although these are being conquered in us.
c. Finally, there will come a time when Jesus will return. According to Acts 1:11, Jesus will return in a way similar to his departure, that is, in the clouds (verse 9). On that day, he will appear with great glory and power to completely establish his Kingdom. Then our waiting will be over. To learn more about this, you might want to read Matthew 24:30, 26:64, Mark 13:26, 14:62, I Thessalonians 4:17, and Revelation 1:7. In Matthew 24:30, Jesus proclaims that he, the Son of Man, will return "on the clouds of heaven with power and great glory." According to Acts 1:7, we will not be told when this will happen. It will surely happen, however, and when that day comes, Christ's Kingdom will be fully established and God will be all in all.
6. As we think about these things, let us ask ourselves these questions. Is sin being conquered in your life? Have you witnessed to God's great acts as described in Scripture? Has anyone ever told you that Jesus was coming at a certain time or date, and did you believe them? Although the power of sin and death has been broken, we still, at times, have struggles, especially when Jesus calls us to suffer for his sake. Do you look forward to the day when Jesus will return, when you as a believer, will see him face to face and be blessed forever? Has God made this great hope real in your life? Do you have this hope when everything else seems hopeless? Do you believe that God will conquer all things, beginning in this life and completed in the life to come? Encourage one another with this hope, regardless of your circumstances.
7. What would be your answers to the five fundamental questions of this series of lessons: Where did we come from? Who are we? Where are we now? Where are we going? What must we do?
8. Finally, in light of this lesson, how do you think Jesus has changed our relationship to God, to each other, to our use of our possessions and other material resources, and to the work of the devil in our lives?
Blessed Lord Jesus, we thank you that by your death, resurrection, and ascension you have conquered all sin, sorrow, and death. Thank you that you rule over all things, and that one day, we will see you face to face in your kingdom. Pour out upon us your Holy Spirit, that your conquest of all sin and sorrow may even now be made evident in our lives. This we ask, Father, in the mighty name of your Son, Jesus Christ the Lord.
Do not forget to pray daily for each other, help those in need, strengthen everyone in the faith, and give glory to God for all things. Let us end with these words from Hebrews,
Now may the God of peace who brought again from the dead our Lord Jesus, the great shepherd of the sheep, by the blood of the eternal covenant, equip you with everything good that you may do his will, working in us that which is pleasing in his sight, through Jesus Christ, to whom be glory forever and ever. Amen. (Hebrews 13:20-21).
In our next lesson, we will study baptism and the receiving of the Holy Spirit.
The Rev. Robert J. Sanders, Ph.D.
February, 2013
