wlsermons

THE ASCENSION OF OUR LORD

Preached: Thursday 25th May 1995 Holy Trinity Lutheran Church Horsham

LUKE 24:44-53

Sudden changes have a way of upsetting us all.
We expect one thing, but the opposite happens.
Jesus' disciples were expecting a great confrontation between Christ and the Jewish leaders. It didn't happen. Instead, before they realised what was happening, Jesus was grabbed, put through a kangaroo court, and condemned to death. To be crucified.

What happened? Surely He was the Messiah. The one who was to save Israel, and make Israel rule the world, as God's favourite nation -surely the way it was supposed to be... Crucified.

But then, the rug is pulled from under the disciples again: He's alive!!! He's real! They could see him, and touch him. He talked with them, and ate with them.
Amazing! Maybe now, after such a death-defeating miracle, he would set things up the way they were meant to be: Israel in supremacy over the world.

Not so. Jesus took them back to the Scriptures, and pointed out his crucifixion was no accident. God planned it.
Far from being an unfortunate hiccup on a campaign trail to political supremacy, what had happened to Christ was the climax of GOD's plan to reconcile the world to Himself. It is written in the Scriptures.
"He was pierced for our transgressions; he was bruised for our iniquities. The punishment that brought us peace was upon him, and by his wounds we are healed." Isaiah 53:5
And again, where the LORD says, "seek the LORD while he may be found; call on him while he is near. Let the wicked forsake his way, and the evil man his thoughts. let him turn to the LORD, and he will have mercy on him, and to our God, for he will freely pardon."

Yes, This has been God's plan from the very beginning: to freely pardon, and to reconcile -to make friends with- us rebellious creatures.

He loved us, and gave up His only begotten son for us, so that whoever believes in him will not perish, but have everlasting life.

When Jesus is about to leave his disciples, he takes pains to assure them of this:
1. His suffering and death, along with his ressurrection, were at the heart of God's plan from the start: All along God has been in control, and He has unfolded his plan. Tonight He assures us of this.

-And tonight, he calls us, as he called his disciples then, to join Him, as he continues to unfold his plan. To join Him, as he fulfils the prophecies of Scripture.
It is written, Jesus says, that 'repentance and forgiveness of sins be preached in his name to all nations, beginning at Jerusalem.'
Just before our Lord ascended, he commissioned his disciples to be his witnesses.
And as he does this, God's plan broadens in scope to include all nations.

God has always been concerned for the whole world. But in his wisdom, the main arena of his saving activity had been among his chosen people Israel.
Now, though, Christ has ascended to be LORD of all the earth.
2. And as Lord of all the earth, and as one who has shed his blood for the sins of the whole world, He commissions His Church, to take the benefits of His saving work to the nations.
You are witnesses of all these things, he says.

As his witnesses, we proclaim repentance and forgiveness.
a. repentance
-We usually think of repentance as sorrow for sin; a turning away from self-seeking and self-sufficiency; A change of heart and mind, that means we are no longer happy with the way we ahve been living. We know we are guilty; we are ashamed of what we have done -and not done. Repentance and forgiveness of sins. This could be translated as: repentance into forgiveness. We have every reason to repent -because there is forgiveness. As He says in Isaiah, "turn to me and be saved, ye ends of the earth!" (God is not interested in giving people a hard time. He wants to save all people.)
b. forgiveness.
A very simple thing - where once God had much against us -enough to punish us in hell forever, now, through Jesus death, He holds nothing against us. He has forgiven everything. He has put away his anger, and now has only friendly words; words of healing and comfort and encouragement, for everyone who will receive the free gift of his love.

3. We are his witnesses, but not very good ones. Luther would pray, "Lord, unless you help me, I'm sure to make a mess of things."
That's the way it is with us.
Unless the Lord builds the house, the workers work in vain. -Psalm 127
Jesus said in John 15 "Apart from me you can do nothing"

He knows what we are like.
He knows what the hearts of other people are like.

As he assured the disciples of power from on high, so too He promises to give us, the Holy Spirit.

Pentecost is the great celebration of God's outpouring of the Holy Spirit onto His people. We recall his promise of the gift of the Spirit in our baptism.
And we will want to heed Pauls exhortation, to go on being filled with the Holy Spirit.
Thus we will have power. Thus we will fulfil our part in God's great plan of salvation: bringing repentance and forgiveness of sins to the nations.

Rev Wayne Logan, May 1995