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Preacher: Pastor David Ball
Scripture: Luke 24:44-53
We all experience transcendent moments—whether in nature, literature, or worship—that stir a deep longing for something beyond this world, a lasting home free from loss. The ascension of Jesus Christ, celebrated today, is not a departure but a triumphant enthronement as King over all, revealing Him as our true home where He intercedes and prepares a place for us. His ascension empowers us to live as His witnesses, boldly sharing the hope and security of His reign until He returns.
Transcript
Have you ever found yourself longing for for something that you can’t really explain but but you have a sense of it’s something that’s beyond this world uh I think it’s something that happens in moments to to all of us Uh even if we don’t know in the moment what’s happening we we just have this sense of it You know one of the places where I experience that is in when I when we go to North Carolina as a family to the mountains uh looking out over the mountains as far as the eye can see uh and just being overwhelmed by it Just being overwhelmed by it Something stirs inside my heart when I when I see it There’s something transcendent about about looking out over it something that points to to something more something more that exists beyond ourselves Uh and these moments you know just looking out at something like that seems to be pointing to something deeper and something far more vast than I ever can experience in my regular life and in the world Do you ever have those moments you know maybe we’re hitting summer right so there’s more time on the beach Maybe it’s uh walking on the beach and or watching the the sunrise or sunset over the water and just being struck with that moment that there’s something bigger This is something far more deeper in this world than I can possibly even understand Or maybe it’s through literature Have you ever had that experience when you’ve uh read a wonderful book or even watched a great story in uh in in the movies about love and adventure or bravery and battle something in that story that stirs you uh to a deep desire for more or takes you to some other place You know for me I always look back especially because my boys love Lord of the Rings so much Uh but but I always look back at the uh in that story and especially in the movie more because I can see it and it really stirs in my heart when the Roharim ride to battle of the Pelanor fields uh to save Minister Tith Uh it’s this powerful powerful moment I get goosebumps I get chills when whenever it happens I could have seen it a hundred times but for some reason that scene just captures me Uh because it speaks of something deeper It speaks of this courage and sacrifice that just transcends this world and is pointing to something more true something deeper something deeper a longing for something better something beyond ourselves a land or a place that exists where where we just long to be full of beauty and courage and valor you know And hopefully that’s something you experience and not maybe not all the time but in worship These moments these transcendent moments where you’re overwhelmed with just the sense of the presence of God who’s with us Whether it’s a a moment of praise and worship in the song itself that that stirs your heart and just just takes you to that place to the presence of God Or maybe it’s in the familiar words of a of a long timetested lurggical prayer that you just find yourself getting lost in in that moment Or maybe it’s just in a complete time of silence before the Lord that you just sense this overwhelming presence of God Those are transcendent moments in our lives And those transcendent moments they serve like signposts that are pointing us to something more something deeper something better a deeper truth that exists beyond ourselves a better future that we just have this sense exists and that we’re longing for a better home that’s being prepared for us And yet for now uh in this world I think we all have to admit that this is a world that we live in that’s full of farewells and it’s full of losses isn’t it but in our hearts of hearts we’re we long for something that’s lasting a lasting home One that’s free from loss One that’s that renders all farewells once and for all obsolete In this life everything that we love we eventually lose don’t we yes But on this Sunday we celebrate the ascension of our Lord Jesus Christ And admittedly Jesus ascension can seem like just another departure It can seem like that just another loss stacked up upon the pile of losses that we experience in our lives And yet this departure is different than the rest It’s different than the rest It’s not just another farewell or a loss at all This departure un unlike the rest of the departures we experience in this life This departure is a triumph It’s a triumph It’s a triumph that speaks to that deep longing of our hearts It transcends our that longing that we have for more and it points us to the lasting home that we’re so desiring and and we just see glimpses of and pictures of in those transcendent moments of our lives now because the ascension of Jesus reveals him to be our king who reigns over all reveals him to be our only true home and our called to live as his witnesses here and now in this world The ascension of Jesus points to him that he is our king our true home and he is calling us to be witnesses for him And I want to explore the these truths together for a few minutes as we look at the these points of the the ascension that it points to Jesus Christ’s kingship our destined home and our present calling in this world now under his kingship Number one Christ’s kingship The ascended Lord rules He rules over all scripture Acts uh we listen to Acts 1:9 says he was taken up before their very eyes and a cloud hid him from their sight And a cloud hid him from their sight And as I said a moment ago the ascension isn’t Jesus’s leaving but it’s rather his triumph And maybe a better way of describing the ascension is that the ascension is Jesus’s enthronement It’s his enthronement as king over all Hebrews 1:3 tells us “He is the radiance of the glory of God and the exact imprint of his nature And he upholds the universe by the word of his power After making purification for sins he sat down at the right hand of the majesty on high.” Jesus has ascended and that’s what we celebrate today to the right hand of God The right hand being the place of honor the place of of authority and rule In his ascension Jesus took his rightful place as king over all of creation That under him there is nothing that is not under his power and control And even the clouds themselves symbolize the divine authority throughout scripture We see it over and over again in Daniel 7:13 In the same vision that I referenced uh earlier uh in the in the in the service to open the service Daniel said “I saw the night visions and behold with the clouds of heaven there came one like a son of man and he came to the ancient of days and was presented before him.” We see the cloud of glory and uh at the transfiguration where the cloud came down and covered Jesus and Elijah and Moses and descended upon them In the book of Exodus when God’s presence was with them in the tent of meeting the cloud descended upon it And when Jesus returns Jesus said in Matthew 24 uh that the son of man come will be coming on the clouds of heaven with power and with great glory The cloud represents the authority of Jesus John Milton in uh his paradise law said it this way soaring through the air to seize the everlasting throng The ascension of Jesus was not abandonment It was not abandonment but rather it was Jesus’s glorification The man of Nazareth is now reigning as king over all and in all The challenge I think to us in our modern skepticism about authority is that Jesus’s rule and his authority were not achieved by what we think of as strength and power but rather Jesus’s rule and authority were achieved by self-sacrifice humility and love that he all proved on the cross for us Did you watch the coronation of King Charles did you watch it um you know it’s no matter what you think of Charles uh a coronation of a king is a pretty special moment right and I’m thankful that they still there’s still some formality right we still can capture that moment because it actually helps us I think uh especially now Uh you know the ceremony the pomp and the circumstance is so rich in symbolism and and significance You’ve got the the St Edward crown symbolizing the monarch’s sovereignty and his divine right to rule You’ve got the orb right that that they hold in their hand that’s topped with a with a cross symbolizing the spiritual and temporal uh power uh that is vested in the monarch of the Christian world Uh it’s a powerful symbol Then you’ve got the scepters that he’s given You know there’s two different ones one with the cross and one with the dove and that he is called to to rule with justice Uh and he’s called to rule with peace Um you know they’re beautiful There’s a lot more to it but it’s a beautiful symbol The symbolism that the king has not abandoned his people but is present on his throne in great victory and securing their future That’s what the ascension is all about It’s not a farewell well or an abandonment of his people It’s his enthronement where he now sits at the right hand of the father with all authority and all power in the universe being his In fact the ascension increased Jesus’s capacity to uh be present It didn’t hinder it in any way When Jesus put on flesh and came among us in his incarnation and there was a sense that Jesus limited himself willingly uh he limited himself in humility He bound himself with humanity in our space and time He was only able a able to be present with a small group of people in a particular place uh at that time and he could only be with them in the flesh But in Jesus’s ascension he’s taken on the the role and the position of authority to be present with all people at all times The fancy word being you know omnipresent and fulfilling what Jesus had promised himself in Matthew 28 I’ll be with you always to the very end of the age Without his ascension Jesus could never have fulfilled the promise The king who serves and dies for his people offers us a far better vision of power and authority than the world has to offer to us Our lives are often feel like they’re in chaos don’t they whether it’s suffering that we’re experiencing doubts that that are plaguing our hearts and minds uncertainty about the future It’s a constant roller coaster ride and it can feel like things are just in chaos and out of control completely But what the ascension reminds us of is that our king is reigning over all because of ascension His ascension he is in control And the reality is our hope that he is reigning even when we don’t understand it Even when we don’t get it in the moment the ascension teaches us that he is reigning over all The second point is this that Jesus the ascended Lord is our true home He is our true he home In Luke 24 in our gospel reading verses 50 to 51 Jesus blessed his disciples and then we’re told he was taken up uh into heaven The ascension shows Jesus taking our humanity into the presence of God Our humanity into the presence of God Which Colossians 3 Paul said “For you have died and your life is hidden with Christ in God When Christ who is your life appears then also you will appear with him in glory.” Our lives are hidden with Christ in the presence of God when we put our trust and hope in him alone And what’s Jesus at work doing in the presence of God well we get a picture of that through the scriptures themselves Number one uh Jesus is interceding for us as our great high priest Hebrews 7 says “The former priests were many in number because they were prevented by death from continuing in office but Jesus holds his priesthood permanently because he continues forever Consequently he is able to save to the utmost those who draw near to God through him since he always lives to make intercession for them Think about that for a moment The ascended Jesus is not only able to save us when we draw near to God but he always lives to make intercession for us He always lives to make intercession for us What that tells us is that no prayer goes unheard No prayer despite Garbrook’s claim otherwise uh goes unanswered His answer is always in accordance with God’s will for us And as Romans 12 tells us his good and his perfect and his pleasing will for us Maybe not the way we wanted it but what is good and right for us Do you want to jumpst start a stalled prayer life or to maybe start one for the first time that embrace this promise of the of the ascension that Jesus himself is interceding for you and for me when we pray Our lives are hidden with him in with Christ before God’s presence The second thing we see of Jesus what he’s busy doing uh is he is busy preparing a place for us which is the fulfillment of that longing that we have for a better home John 14 let not your hearts be troubled Jesus said “Believe in God believe also in me because in my father’s house are many rooms If it were not so would I have told you that I go to prepare a place for you And if I go to prepare a place for you I will come again to take you to myself that where I am you may be also.” Because of Jesus’s ascension to his father’s house he is able to prepare a place for us and promises to come and take us to be with him forever We all feel transcendent moments that just give us this acute awareness of the presence of God but they also give us an awareness that this world just isn’t enough It’s not enough The ascension points us to our true home That Jesus is preparing for us in the presence of God the ascended Jesus Unlike earthly joys that fade the ascension promises eternal communion with God Let this hope anchor you amid life’s disappointments that your heart’s deepest desire that thing that you’re longing for most it’s real and it awaits us in Christ because he has ascended to the right hand of the father The third point uh is this of the ascension The ascended Lord sends us in the meantime until that day comes The the already but the not yet time that that we live in Our ascended Lord call sends us out in Acts 1:11 when uh they stand there just kind of gawking up at the sky When Jesus uh has ascended uh the messengers of God the angels appear and say “Why do you stand here looking into the sky this same Jesus he’s coming back The same Jesus is coming back The angel’s question is a call to action That question is a call to action The ascension precedes the spirit’s coming which we celebrate fully next week at on uh Pentecost Sunday uh empowering those disciples to be witnesses But here Jesus absence and body means the presence his presence through the spirit makes him near to all not bound to one place as I said before and in the meantime we’re not to wait passively but to live purposely sharing the news of the ascended king’s return to all friends We’re a church that’s called to mission were called to be on mission to reach the next generation to for Christ Whether it be young or whether it be just folks who don’t know Christ yet as their Lord and Savior I’m so thankful and proud of the commitment that uh that we have made to support local and foreign missions that we do Whether it’s First Coast Women’s Services Beaches Rescue and Recovery Missions uh Mission House Avante Assisted Living with Avante Chapel uh Julie Ingaman in Zambia or David Sander and his family and the Netherlands Crosscultural Connections the Elshadai School and uh Dominican Republic looking forward to us uh supporting Elijah Marorrow as he accepts the call to serve as a missionary at UNF through uh Crew which was uh formerly Campus Crusade for Christ Through these missions these missionaries both local and overseas we’re claiming the truth of the ascension and the call to uh to not be passive but to be active in our witness for Christ in the world But you don’t have to be called to vocational as a vocational missionary to be a missionary in in this world The ascension of our Lord Jesus is calling all of us every one of us to be on mission for Christ A life through word and deed of proclaiming him to proclaiming Christ to a world that so desperately needs him to be proclaiming the hope and the security that we have in our savior Jesus The hope of the ascension that Jesus is ruling over everything here present and always and he’s with us always And the security we have in the in the ascension that our lives are hidden with Christ and the presence of God and that Jesus is busy at work preparing a place for us Friends that kind of hope and that kind of security it’s absolutely liberating It’s freeing We’re free to risk boldly by sharing our faith in Christ with others You know like the 19th century English missionaries who boldly went to regions and and people groups like Africa and in Asia and Southeast Asia that were dangerous knowing that they would most likely die in their efforts one way or another And so they packed all their belongings in a coffin and they took them with them so that when they did die they knew that their remains could be shipped back home uh to their families What gave them such boldness what gave them them such courage the hope of the ascension that their king was the one who was in control of all things and the security of the ascension that their lives were hidden with Christ and that their true and better home wasn’t in this life but rather awaited them in their father’s house that Jesus was preparing for them It’s it’s a challenge to all of us It’s a challenge to all of us Are you standing passively by in this life just looking up into the sky just waiting for something to happen just waiting for things to come at you I guess or for Jesus to return Or are you living in the hope and the security of Jesus’s ascension and the freedom and the calling that is on our lives to be his witnesses the ascension of Jesus It calls us to live as Christ ambassadors in our daily work in our
relationships in our struggles even emboldened by the hope and the security that we have in Christ’s ascension for us Friends the the ascension reveals Jesus as the king who reigns the savior who’s preparing us a better home and the Lord who calls us to be his witnesses in this world Let us rest in Christ’s rule Let us hope in in this promise of a better home And let us act with boldness and the hope and the security that we have in him not standing and just staring into the sky but going into the world carrying the truth of the ascended Christ with us until he returns I read a a wonderful sonnet I’m not great at reading sonnets so you’ll have to bear with me Um but uh about the ascension that was really powerful that spoke into this moment in a beautiful way And so I want to read it for you now as I as I close this before I pray It’s a a sonnet of the ascension day by Malcolm Gute We saw his light break through the cloud of glory Whilst we were rooted still in time and place as earth became a part of heaven’s story and heaven opened to his human face we saw him go and yet we were not parted He took us with him to the heart of things The heart that broke for all the brokenhearted is whole and heaven centered now and sings sings in the strength that rises out of weakness Sings through the clouds that veil him from our sight whilst we ourselves become his clouds of witnesses and sing the waning darkness into light His light in us and ours in him concealed which all creation waits to see revealed Let us pray Lord Jesus we thank you for your ascension Thank you that you did not abandon us that you did not leave us but that you have given us hope and security beyond anything we could hope for or imagine The kind of hope and security that our hearts are longing for That Jesus you are reigning even in the midst of what seems like chaos in this world and in our lives That you remain in control of all things that our lives are secure in you hidden with you in our father’s presence and that you Jesus are preparing our heavenly home for us Give us courage in this hope and in this security not to stand passively by Give us courage to trust you and to be your witnesses in this world declaring the hope that we have in the gospel through our Lord Jesus Christ And Jesus we pray this all in your mighty name Amen
