INI
Exaudi, The Sunday after Ascension
May 24, 2009
Ascension Lutheran Church, Tacoma WA
Paul Naumann, Pastor

THE FAMOUS LAST WORDS OF ASCENSION DAY
Acts 1:6-11

To Him who loved us and washed us from our sins in His own blood, and has
made us kings and priests to God and His Father, to Him be glory and
dominion forever and ever, Amen. Today we direct our attention to God's
Word as we find it in the first chapter of the Book of Acts, beginning with the
first verse, as follows:

Therefore, when they had come together, they asked Him, saying, “Lord, will
You at this time restore the kingdom to Israel?” And He said to them, “It is not
for you to know times or seasons which the Father has put in His own
authority. But you shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you;
and you shall be witnesses to Me in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and
to the end of the earth.” Now when He had spoken these things, while they
watched, He was taken up, and a cloud received Him out of their sight. And
while they looked steadfastly toward heaven as He went up, behold, two men
stood by them in white apparel, who also said, “Men of Galilee, why do you
stand gazing up into heaven? This same Jesus, who was taken up from you into
heaven, will so come in like manner as you saw Him go into heaven.” So far the
Holy Word.

In the name of Jesus Christ, our risen and ascended King, Dear Fellow
Redeemed,

A person's final words before death very often have great significance. When
the Apostle Paul was nearing his end, he said, "I have fought the good fight, I
have finished the race, I have kept the faith. Finally, there is laid up for me the
crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will give to me." II
Tim 4:67-8. In the year 155 AD, an elderly Christian named Polycarp faced
death at the hands of the Romans when he refused to curse Jesus. He said, "I've
served Him for eighty-six years, and He has done nothing but good for me. How
could I curse Him, my Lord and Savior?" Martin Luther, on his deathbed, said,
"Our God is the God whom salvation comes f rom. God is the Lord by whom
we escape death. Into Your hands I commit my spirit: God of truth, You have
redeemed me!"

In our text for today, no one died. But there were some very significant last
words spoken on that Ascension Day. It was the last chance the disciples had to
speak to Jesus in the flesh, and the last chance Jesus had to speak to them. I
think you’ll find that their words have great significance for us in this day and
age as well. Join me in considering the theme:

THE FAMOUS LAST WORDS OF ASCENSION DAY

I. The disciples' words reveal their ignorance
II. Jesus' words reveal their assignment
III. The angels' words promise His future return

As you know, ascension means, "going up." When we said the Apostles' Creed
a few moments ago, we confessed that Jesus suffered for our sins and was
buried, "He descended into hell, and the third day He rose again from the dead.
He ascended into heaven..." It was exactly forty days after His resurrection, and
Jesus was about to return to His heavenly throne. Was He leaving=2 0His
disciples? Not really. He would of course continue to be with them, as He
promised: "Lo, I am with you always, even unto the end of the world." Mt
28:20. But it was the last time they would enjoy His physical presence, the last
time they would see Him with their eyes, the last opportunity they would have
to speak to Him and ask Him questions. Only a few minutes left! -And how did
they use that last golden opportunity? They asked Him -- well, they asked Him
rather a silly question!

They asked Him, saying, “Lord, will You at this time restore the kingdom to
Israel?” Evidently, the disciples were still unclear about Jesus’ work. They still
wondered whether Jesus was going to make Himself an earthly King, and rule
over an earthly kingdom. Since He had shown He has the power to heal people
and perform miracles - even rise from the dead - well, then, He obviously had
the power to eject the occupying Romans from the land of Israel and restore the
nation to its f ormer glory. What He was waiting for?

-The disciples' words revealed their ignorance. Jesus had spent countless hours
instructing them, teaching them that the Kingdom of God isn't a place. It's His
ruling in the hearts of believers by faith. He told them countless parables, trying
to teach them about His kingdom in words they'd understand. Over and over
He'd said it: "My kingdom is not of this world." And again, "The kingdom of
God does not come with observation; nor will they say, 'See here!' or 'See there'
For indeed, the kingdom of God is within you." Lk 17:20-21. Wherever there is
a person whose heart is filled with faith in Him, Jesus said, that's where the
kingdom of God is. But still the disciples didn't get it. Right up to Ascension
day they kept hoping for an earthly kingdom!

Does your life reflect that same ignorance? Are you looking for an earthly
kingdom? For instance, are you expecting society to continually progress and
improve until harmony and peace are established once and for all on the earth?
-It will never happen. If you believe that Christ will come to initiate a
"millennium” – a thousand-year reign on earth – you’ll make the same mistake.
“My kingdom is not of this world,” Jesus said. If you believe the TV preachers
who peddle the “Prosperity Gospel,” you'll make the same mistake. They say
that the main purpose of the Bible is to give you a prosperous and successful
lifestyle in the here-and-now. -It's a very attractive illusion. But it is an illusion.

The main theme of God's Word has to do with something much more important
than any of these: eternal salvation. The Lord has saved you from eternal
damnation. To do it, He gave His only Son, Jesus. The perfect life that God
demands, and that you could never live -- Jesus lived, in your place. The huge
payment for your sins that God demands, and that you could never pay -- Jesus
paid, in your place. –That’s the real Gospel. When it comes to what’s really
important in life, that’s where the rubber meets the road. Compared with the
eternal salvation won for you in Christ, all the material prosperity and success
the world can offer fades to insignificance. “For,” Jesus asked, “what shall a
man be profited if he shall gain the whole world, and lose his own soul?”

"Lord, will you at this time restore the kingdom to Israel?" Well, Jesus didn't
scold the disciples for asking such a silly question; He let them down easy. “It is
not for you to know times or seasons which the Father has put in His own
authority.” Jesus knew that very soon they would have a much better
understanding of these things. Why? Because in ten days, it would be Pentecost.
Jesus told them, You shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon
you; and you shall be witnesses to Me in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and
Samaria, and to the end of the earth. With these words, Jesus revealed their
assignment -- and ours!

"Ye shall receive power." I saw a video clip this week of some people who
received power – about five thousand volts of it! In the video, eight friends are
standing in a line holding hands, when the person on the end reaches out and
grabs an electric cattle fence. They all jumped, and several of them fell to the
ground. It was obviously a “jolting” experience! Well, our experience as
believing Christians is a little bit like that, only in a good and beneficial sense.
That is, we've been charged with the dynamic power of the Holy Spirit. Our
assignment, no less than those original apostles, is to touch as many people as
we can with that power. To transfer the jolting energy of the Gospel to as many
people as possible! Like the disciples, we know the facts of Jesus' suffering,
death, and resurrection. We know that faith is Jesus is the key to the life that
lasts forever. It’s the power of eternal life! Is that a power we can keep to
ourselves? Impossible! We are to be Christ's witnesses, both here in our own
community, and throughout the world. We are "the light of the world," and "the
salt of the earth." God designed us believers to be witnesses of Christ. God's
kingdom has come to our hearts by faith, and Jesus' assignment to us is to
spread that kingdom to the hearts of others.

Now when He had spoken these things, while they watched, He was taken up,
and a cloud received Him out of their sight. And while they looked steadfastly
toward heaven as He went up, behold, two men stood by them in white apparel.
This scene has always struck me as a little bit humorous. We can picture the
surprise of the disciples as Jesus begins to rise slowly up into the air, finally
disappearing into the clouds. Here are all these men, standing around in a circle,
staring straight up into the sky with their eyes wide and their mouths open -
they must have looked rather silly! Pretty soon somebody looks around, and
notices that there are two angels standing there.

On this day of "famous last words," the angels, too, had something very
important to say. They said, Men of Galilee, why do you stand gazing up into
heaven? This same Jesus, who was taken up from you into heaven, will so come
in like manner as you saw Him go into heaven. The importance of these words
is obvious: they are a promise of Jesus' future return.

Like those disciples, we labor under a certain disadvantage in this world. The
most important Person in our life, the Person on whom we depend for
everything we want and need, the Person who holds our very life in the palm of
His hand -- we can't see. -At least, not physically; not with our eyes. That
doesn't mean He's not here, of course! In fact, we talked about this last week:
we know that He is here in this room with us right now, because He said,
"Where two or three are gathered together in My name, there am I in the midst
of them." But sinful people like us often find it difficult to maintain such a
close relationship with our Savior when we can't see Him. As we saw, Thomas
had the same problem. But Jesus promised that, while we remain on this earth,
the Holy Spirit will bless us with the eyes of faith. And those angels of
Ascension day have promised us something further: one day we will see Jesus
with our physical eyes, when He comes again in glory!

Like a flash of lightning, Christ will arrive back on earth, and we'll see Him
coming in the clouds to receive us. The same way He went on Ascension day,
that's how He'll return. On that last Day, you will recognize your Savior - you'll
know Him by sight! And He'll take you to enjoy the eternal fruits of the
salvation He earned for you. When you're tired, when things in your life have
you down, remember - the time is coming. It's one day closer than it was
yesterday, and it's a half an hour closer than it was thirty minutes ago! You, too,
can say confidently with Job, "This I know, that in my flesh I shall see God, and
my eyes shall behold, and not another." Job 19:27.

I've got a nephew who's a college student now. He’s bigger than I am. But
years ago when he was in kindergarten he said something interesting --
something which indicated that he was as ready for Christ's return as anyone
could be. One day he asked his mother, "Mom, how do we get to heaven?"
"Well," she said, "the Holy Ghost comes into your heart and makes you believe
in Jesus. When God says it's time, then you go to heaven." He thought about
that for a few seconds, and then he said, "Ok Mom, I believe in Jesus. Can I go
to heaven now?" God grant each of us the child-like confidence to expect
Christ's return at any moment -- and to be ready for Him when He comes. God
grant that we may heed the joyful reminder of the angels: This same Jesus, who
was taken up from you into heaven, will so come in like manner as you saw
Him go! AMEN.




THIS WEEK AT ASCENSION
Today Exaudi, the Sunday after Ascension. Regular worship schedule.
Tuesday Lange adult class, 9:00 a.m. at the church.
Wednesday Adams adult class, 11:00 a.m. at the church. Confirmation, 4:30
p.m. at the church.
Saturday Lange adult class, 7:30 a.m. in Dupont.
Next Sunday Pentecost. No Bible class or Sunday School. Family potluck
5:00-7:00 p.m.


Attendance Last Sunday: 29 Offering Last Sunday: $1188.00


WELCOME ...to our guests and visitors. We are v ery glad to have the
opportunity to share with you the Gospel of forgiveness through Jesus! Please
introduce yourself to the pastor and sign our guest book in the entryway. Won't
you join us to worship our Lord Jesus every Sunday morning? If you would like
to know more about Ascension Lutheran Church - and our national
organization, the Church of the Lutheran Confession - the pastor would be
delighted to meet with you in your home.

SUNDAY SCHOOL RECESSED Sunday School and Bible classes will recess
for the summer months after today. Classes will begin again in September. Once
again, Ascension wishes to thank our teachers, Mrs. Dyane Haynes and Mrs.
Ann Naumann, for contributing their time and talents in faithfully bringing the
Gospel to the lambs of our flock.

FAMILY NIGHT Our monthly Family Night is coming up a week from today,
May 31. A potluck dinner will be served here at the church beginning at 5:00
p.m., with a brief presentation or activity to follow. Suggestions for the activity
are welcome. Please plan to join us!

A REMINDER Have you a favorite hymn that we haven't sung in church
recently? If so, please ask the pastor to include it in an upcoming service. Not
every hymn may be appropriate for a particular Sunday's worship, but you can
be sure we will work your favorite into a service sometime soon. Thank you!


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