Ron Dunn Podcast - The Ascension

Episode Date: January 13, 2021

Ron Dunn concludes his series "Gathering Storm"

I want you to open your Bibles tonight to the Gospel of Luke, chapter 24, and the Book of Acts, chapter 1. The Gospel of Luke, chapter 24, and the Book of Acts chapter 1. John just gives a bare reference to what we want to talk about tonight and so that's why I'm going beyond John for this message. In Luke chapter 24, begin reading with verse 44. Then he said to them, These are my words that I spoke to you while I was still

with you, that everything written about me in the law of Moses, the prophets, and the Psalms must be fulfilled. Then he opened their minds to understand the scriptures, and he said to them, You are witnesses of these things. And see, I am sending upon you what my Father promised. So stay here in the city until you have been clothed with power from on high. Then he led them out as far as Bethany, and lifting up his hands, he blessed them. While he was blessing them, he withdrew from them and was carried up into heaven. And they worshipped him and returned to Jerusalem with great joy. And they were continually in the temple blessing God. Now in Acts chapter 1 and verse 9.

Well, let's begin with verse 6. So when they had come together, they asked him, Lord, is this the time when you will restore the kingdom to Israel? He replied, it is not for you to know the times or periods that the Father has set by his own authority, but you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth. When he had said this, as they were watching, he was lifted up, and a cloud took him out of their sight.

While he was going, they stood gazing up toward heaven, and suddenly two men in white robes stood by them. They said, Men of Galilee, why do you stand looking up toward heaven? This Jesus, who has as you saw him go into heaven. The last thing that Jesus did in the flesh was vanish. The last thing he did on earth was disappear. Something the disciples were not expecting. But of course, Jesus had never done the expected. Matter of fact, his whole life is a commentary on the words of Isaiah, My ways are not your ways, and my thoughts are not your thoughts.

Jesus had said to them, and this is Matthew's account, He said, Lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the world. And then he vanished and was gone and disappeared into the clouds. Now, the significant thing about this account in Luke is the fact that the disciples returned to Jerusalem with great joy, with great joy. That's not exactly what I would have expected. Their Lord had already been taken from them once, and then he was raised again, and now they had seen him and fellowshiped with him

and heard his magnificent teaching. And now all of a sudden, without announcement, without any premeditative statement, to their surprise, while he is blessing them, he is taken up in a chariot of clouds and disappears into heaven. And I would expect their immediate reaction would be one of, of course, perplexity and great bewilderment, disappointment, and sadness. But instead, the Bible says, they returned with great joy. They returned with great joy and were daily in the temple blessing God, praising God, even though their Lord had disappeared. Now, why was that? Well, you'll notice it says that he lifted up his hands and blessed them.

And while he was blessing them, he was taken up into heaven. In other words, the ascension of Jesus itself was a blessing. The going of Jesus was a blessing. The going of Jesus was a blessing. Had I been one of the disciples, I would have thought, no, the greatest blessing would be for Jesus to stay here now. Imagine what he could do.

They had crucified him and sealed him in the tomb. And now if he walked down the streets alive and in his glory, people would be mesmerized and they would fall at his feet and worship. That would seem to be the normal thing to do. That is the rational thing to do. That's what you and I would have prescribed to do.

But no, he disappeared. He left them. And you say, oh, that's terrible. No, it was a blessing. And one of the greatest blessings of the church is the fact that Jesus is no longer with us in the flesh. And the fact that he is no longer with us in the flesh and has ascended into heaven ought to be a source of great joy for the believer as it was for these disciples. So let's talk tonight

about the ascension of Jesus Christ. Now, I mentioned the other night there is some dispute over how many ascensions there were. I think there was more than one. I think this was the final one. But what did Jesus do during those 40 days after he was resurrected? Oh, I think that while he was in the tomb during those three days, where do you think he was? Well, as we may have time to read in 1 Peter, I believe he went to Hades and he preached in the tomb during those three days. Where do you think he was? Well, as we may have time to

read in 1 Peter, I believe he went to Hades and he preached to the spirits that were in prison. And I think that immediately after his resurrection and after he said what he said as we saw last night to Mary, he ascended to the Father. And I think there were probably other times when he ascended to the Father, but they were secret ascensions. But now this is the public final ascension of Jesus. And I'm not going to try to separate what happened on this ascension, what happened on this, because it's just impossible to do so. But we're just all going to dovetail into this one final ascension because it is the example of everything that Jesus did

when he ascended to his Father. It is a blessing. It is a blessing that he is not here. And it ought to be one of the greatest sources of joy to your heart and to mine. Why? Number one, because his ascension signaled that a work had been completed. A work had been completed. If you remember that great statement in Hebrews chapter 1, and it says that in verse 3, he is the reflection of God's glory and the exact imprint of God's very being, and he sustains all things by his powerful word.

When he had made by himself purification for sins, he sat down at the right hand of the majesty on high. It's a signal that a work is completed. Why? He sat down. Jesus always finishes what he starts. He always does. That's something that's unique about God.

God always finishes what he begins. And on the day, on the time of creation, after the seventh day, that's when he rested. He didn't rest until the work was done. And Jesus, after he had accomplished all that was essential, all that was necessary for the purification of our sins and for the righteousness of our life, he ascended into heaven and he sat down. Why are you sitting down, Lord? Well, the work's over. The work's finished. I've done it all. A work is completed. And that's why you can take seriously the words of Paul in Philippians chapter 1, verse 6,

when he says, I am confident of this very thing, that he who has begun a good work in you will carry it through until the day of Jesus Christ. God never leaves anything unfinished. And I want to tell you something. If he has begun the good work of salvation in you, he'll finish it. He'll finish it. Don't worry about it. Oh, you may be going through a dark time now. You may be going through a wilderness now and struggling now. And sometimes we wonder, are we going to make it? But listen, if he has ever begun the good work in you, he'll finish it. He'll finish it. And so the ascension of our Lord signals a work completed. When he went to heaven and was received by the Father and presented himself and his sacrifice to the Father and the Father accepted it.

Don't you know that must have been some reunion? Oh, I wish I was eloquent tonight to be able to put into words what that must have been. But the best I can do is read out of Psalm 24, verses 7 and following. These words that refer to his ascension. Lift up your heads, O gates, and be lifted up, O ancient doors, that the King of glory may come in. Who is the King of glory? The Lord, strong and mighty, the Lord, mighty in battle. Lift up your heads, O gates, and be lifted up, O ancient doors, that the King of glory may come in. Who is this King of glory? The Lord of hosts,

he is the King of glory. What a reception that must have been. Can you imagine when Jesus returned to heaven to stay and walk the streets of glory and all the angels rejoiced and his father met him and embraced him and he presented to the father, here is my sacrifice. And the father said, well done. Have a seat, son, on my right hand. Your work is finished. See, Jesus stayed around just long enough to convince us that he was real and alive. Remember when he appeared to the disciples in the upper room and he had Thomas to touch him.

Jesus said something great there. This has nothing to do with my message, but I want to put it in. He said, Thomas, blessed are you because you have seen. But blessed are the folks at Great Hills because they have not seen and yet believed. So he said, do you have anything to eat? And they gave him some fish to eat,

which, of course, I had a preferred barbecue myself. Along with a smoothie, you know. Now why was that? And on the road to Emmaus, when he met with those disciples and they didn't know who he was he went in and he ate with them why did he do that why did Jesus eat he said because you know this that a ghost doesn't eat only flesh and blood can eat what Jesus was doing was saying I want you to understand gentlemen that I am no mirage, that I am not a figment of your imagination, that I'm not one of these holograms that you're going

to hear about in a few thousand years. I am real. I am real. I am real. I am just as much real and more so than I was when I was with you before the death and resurrection. He stayed long enough to convince the disciples that he was real. Not just alive, but that he was real. And I tell you something, folks, do you realize tonight that flesh and blood sits on the throne of God? Isn't that amazing? Isn't that amazing? Isn't that amazing? The man Christ Jesus, Paul calls him, is our mediator. Jesus never was ashamed of his manhood, never was ashamed of his humanness,

and is still not. And when you see Jesus in glory someday, He will be God with flesh. See, how do you know? Because you'll still have the prints of the nails in his hand. You know, the only ones in heaven, the only person in heaven who's going to have any scars from this life is Jesus. I remember one of the greatest experiences I witnessed was some years ago. Well, it was back during when the Vietnam War was winding down. It was on an Easter Sunday morning, and I was in a church in Colorado, and they have a big hospital there in Denver where they were bringing so many of the injured. And that morning, one of the Vietnam veterans who was an amputee, well, he had no arms and he had no legs. But he had professed Christ as Savior.

And I thought it was so fitting, on Easter Sunday morning, I watched that pastor baptizing. And I thought to myself, dear brother, one of these days, you're going to walk in glory with legs and arms. And all the scars of this life, all the wounds of this life, are to be gone except for one person.

Jesus is the only one in heaven who will still have the scars he received on earth. Why? Because they are his glory. They are his glory. He stayed around long enough to convince his disciples that he was real. He stayed around long enough to convince his disciples that he was real. He stayed around long enough to open their understanding. If you go back to that walk on Emmaus, it's so beautiful. Verse 30 and 24, Luke, he says, When he was at the table with them, he took bread, blessed and broke it, and gave it to him. Then their eyes were open and they recognized him. Now, you know, it is in the everyday that you see Jesus.

How did they recognize Jesus? When were their eyes open? When he was performing some great miracle. No, their eyes were open and they saw Jesus when he just broke the bread and blessed it. Such a simple everyday thing. And then it says he opened their understanding. And it says here that he stayed with them until in verse 45, then he opened their minds to understand the Scripture. And that's what the resurrected risen Lord does today. He opens our minds to understand the Scripture. You see, you cannot understand the Scripture without your mind being opened by the Holy Spirit,

by the Lord Jesus Christ. You do understand that all of the modernism and liberalism originated in France and Germany back around the First World War, turn of the century. Some of the greatest theologians, quote, unquote, were never saved.

Why? Because in places like Germany and France and other places in Europe, you chose theology just like you might choose the law or medicine. You went into it as a profession. And these men became brilliant in their ability to read and understand the Hebrew

scriptures and their ability to read the Greek and the background and all the historical background they became great theologians but I see see they they some of them had not ever been saved and so when they came to the resurrection, they couldn't understand that, so they didn't believe it. And when they came to the virgin birth, that was beyond their comprehension, so they didn't believe it. And when they came to the miracles,

you can still read in some of the commentaries today, some of these boys, they do all right until they get to the miracles. And then they gag, and they try to explain it away. Why? Because no matter how brilliant they are academically, the Spirit of God has never opened their understanding. Friend, I'd take the word of a simple elderly woman in a rocking chair who's been enlightened by the Holy Spirit about what the Bible means, than I would some of these great theologians. For the true light does not come from intellectual knowledge.

It comes from Jesus opening our understanding. He stayed just long enough also to commission them. And that commission is still with us. He says in verse 47, This is the message thus it written that the Messiah is to suffer and to rise from the dead on the third day and that repentance

and forgiveness of sins is to be proclaimed in his name to all nations beginning from Jerusalem and you are witnesses of these things notice the commission notice the message repentance and forgiveness of sins in Jesus' name. In Jesus' name. I'm afraid that a lot of times in our preaching, we're trying to tell people not to

feel guilty instead of offering them forgiveness of their guilt. And how often do we hear repentance preached today, turning from your sins? That's not seeker-friendly, friend, I'll tell you that. But that's the commission that you and I have. That is our message, repentance of sins and forgiveness of those sins. Repentance towards God and faith towards the Lord Jesus Christ, he says in another place. So the ascension is a blessing and a source of joy because it tells us that he has finished the work. All that needs to be done for salvation has been done. I do not need to, like Luther, try to climb on my knees 447 steps to atone for my sins.

I do not need a priest to go to God in my behalf. I do not have to labor and labor and pile up good works. Why? Because the fact that Jesus has sat down on the right hand of God, He's saying everything that is essential to your salvation has already been done. It's completed. And all I do is just walk into it to the finished work of Christ.

But not only does it mean a work completed, it means a work commenced. It means a work commenced. Now my time is getting away from me here. So y'all are going to have to listen a lot faster than you are. Now I want you to notice the position of the two accounts of the ascension, the one in Luke and the one in Acts. The account in Luke

comes at the end of our Lord's earthly ministry. The one in Acts comes at the beginning of his continued ministry. Look at verse 1 in that chapter 1. In the first book, referring to Luke, Theopolis, I wrote about all that Jesus began to do and teach from the beginning until the day when he was taken up to heaven after giving instructions to the Holy Spirit to the disciples. I made an account of all that Jesus, what? Began to do.

That was just the beginning. You would say, oh, the ascension must be the end. Oh, no, it's just the beginning. There is a work commenced, a work begun, a work carried on. What was it? Well, ah, goodness, I've got several things down here. Number one, it meant that he sent the Holy Spirit. He said, it is expedient for you that I go away, for unless I go away,

the Spirit will not come. Somebody says, why did Jesus leave us so he could be with us? He left us so he could be with us. You see, if Jesus were still alive here today physically, as I've mentioned before, he would be limited in time and space and location and geography, and he can't be with me in Dallas if he's with you in Austin. But when he ascended to the Father and then returned in the person of the Holy Spirit and indwells every one of us,

he's with all of us. He's with me wherever I am. He's with you wherever you are and you go to the farthest corners of the earth, and there is Jesus in his fullness there, in his fullness there. He went away that he might be with us. I don't envy the apostles who had Jesus in the flesh. we've got it far better. We have him, as we saw yesterday, enter a new relationship, no longer a physical relationship,

but a spiritual relationship. He went away that he might be with us. He sent the Holy Spirit. It will not take time, but you read John chapter 14 and John chapter 16, and he tells us what the Holy Spirit is going to do. The Holy Spirit reproduces Jesus in us, you see. I tell you, folks, the only way you can ever become like Jesus is through the work of the Holy Spirit. He has a copyright on Jesus, and he has a monopoly on it.

Nobody else can produce Jesus in a person's life except the Holy Spirit, and so that's monopoly on it. Nobody else can produce Jesus in a person's life except the Holy Spirit and so that's what he does. He sent the Holy Spirit that he might be with us and continue to work with us and to conform us as Paul says

to the image of God's own dear son. He went away that he might be with us but also he went away in order to give gifts to the church. Oh, it ought to be a great source of joy to the church, a great source of blessing to the church that Jesus ascended, because when he ascended, he gave gifts unto men and gifts unto the church. Let me just read a few verses from Ephesians chapter 4 and verse 7.

But each of us was given grace according to the measure of Christ's gift. Therefore it is said, when he ascended on high, he made captivity itself a captive, and he gave gifts to his people. Oh, you need to study that, folks. You need to go back and study. That is so rich. That is so rich. That is so rich. It's when anybody goes in and conquers another kingdom, they spoil that kingdom, and they take spoils,

and they take captives. And that's what Jesus did. And when he ascended, he gave gifts to his people. When it says he ascended, what does it mean? But he had also descended into the lower parts of the earth. He who descended is the same one who ascended far above all heavens so that he might fill all things. And the gifts he gave were that some should be apostles, some prophets, some evangelists, some pastors and teachers to equip the saints for the work of the ministry.

God gave gifts to men and women, and he gave gifts to the church your pastor is a gift to this church that's a supernatural gift nobody in this building knows better how to lead this church than your pastor. That does not mean he does not take counsel from others, but in the final analysis,

he is God's gift to this church. And he is God's messenger to this church, and he works primarily through this pastor that he has gifted. It's a supernatural gift that you and I may not have been given. If we have, we'll be out pastoring somewhere or somehow. But he knows better than anybody else in this church how this church ought to go, how this church ought to be led. And I'm going to tell you something. From my 42 years of experience, I have discovered this.

It's so obvious it can't even be called a discovery, that the great churches in our convention that have grown and are growing are always churches that recognize their pastor is the head of that body. He is the shepherd, and they follow his leadership. Why? They recognize that he has been supernaturally gifted. Now, he may not be smart enough to pastor this church. It's probably a good thing God called you to preach, Harold. You'd have probably starved to death trying to do anything else.

Now, he may not have enough intellectual acumen to pastor a church, but God has supernaturally gifted him to do that, you see. So he gave gifts to men. Well, let's move on. Number three, he went up there to make a home for us. He went away to make a home for us. In John 14, he said, Don't let your hearts be troubled,

for I'm going to prepare a place for you. The King James says, In my Father's house are many mansions. That's an unfortunate translation. The word is dwelling place. It's a place where you feel at home. I tell you, I don't feel at home in a mansion, do you? You say, well, have you been in that many mansions? No, but I've been in one or two.

You know, you walk in and the foyer's all marble and you feel like you need to take your shoes off and walk. And, oh, you're afraid to, you don't go into a mansion and kick off your shoes and put your feet on the coffee table. That's not proper. I don't want to live that way through eternity. I want to feel at home. I want to feel at home. Gentlemen, eternity. I want to feel at home. I want to feel at home. Gentlemen, listen, I want to tell you something.

I don't know if we'll sleep in heaven or not, but I guarantee you there will only be two pillows on the bed. You won't have to throw off 18 more to get into bed. You're going to have to throw off 18 more to get into bed. You're going to feel at home there. You're going to feel at home. He's prepared for us a dwelling place. Ah, but there's one other thing that I'll mention. He went away that he might be with us. He went away that he might be with us.

He went away that he might be for us. Because then he began that ministry of intercession and sympathy. One of my favorite verses in all the Bible is over in Hebrews. It's so favorite I'm going to have to try to find it. Hebrews chapter 4, verse 14 and following. Listen to what he says. Since then we have a high, a great high priest who has passed through the heavens,

Jesus the Son of God. Let us hold fast to our confession. For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses but we have one who in every respect has been tested or tempted as we have been, as we are the only difference is he didn't sin let us therefore approach the throne of grace

with boldness so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need. Now you need to underline that word therefore. What does it mean? Therefore, we can approach the throne of grace with confidence that we'll find mercy and grace and understanding and sympathy. Why? Because our high priest has been tempted in all points such as we are. And you know, that's important. I tell you something, if I have a great problem,

a great burden on my heart, I'm not going to somebody who's never had a problem. I did that once. I want to go to somebody who's been there. I want to go to somebody who will wrap their arms around me and say, I understand. I know what you're going through. I understand. We find sympathy from Jesus, not condemnation. Why? He's been there, folks. You say, nobody knows how I feel. Oh, yes, Jesus. In all respects, just like us, He has been tested and tempted, yet without sin. And He is praying for us. He ever liveth to make intercession for us. You see, that's what Jesus is doing right now. It is beyond my comprehension

to realize that at this very moment, the Lord Jesus Christ is praying for me. Praying for me. Praying for you. The mighty intercession of the Lord Jesus. That's what keeps us saved, friend.

He is able to save us to the uttermost. Through it all. To the very end. Why? Because he ever liveth to make intercession for us. All right, it's a blessing to the church, ought to be a joy to our lives because it means a work completed and a work commenced, but it also means a work coming. It means there is a work coming. Go back to Acts chapter 1 verse 9. When he had said this, as they were watching, he was lifted up, and a cloud took him out of their sight.

The cloud always represents the glory of God. While he was going and they were gazing up toward heaven, suddenly two men in white robes stood by them, and they said, Men of Galilee, why do you stand looking up towards heaven? This same Jesus whom you have seen taken up into heaven will so come again in the same manner as you have seen him come again. And friends, one of these days he is.

Behold, he cometh with clouds and every eye shall see him. One of these days he's going to rise up off that throne. The Father's going to say, Son, it's time. It's time to gather our children. It's time to gather your brothers and sisters. It's time to gather my children. And Jesus is going to step off that throne. And I'm not going to get into the millennial stuff here.

I'm just going to say it all boils down to this, that one of these days, he's going to come in clouds of glory and every eye will see him. I got news for you folks. The world has not seen the last of Jesus. They've not heard the last from Jesus. Oh they thought they had. heard the last from Jesus. Oh, they thought they had. They put him on that cross, crucified him,

laid him in a grave, put a stone there and a soldier to guard it. They said, now we're rid of him. Now we're rid of him. He won't bother us anymore. And on the third day, he came out of that tomb victorious with the keys of death and hell, and he ascended into heaven. And you know what's happening today?

People are still crucifying him and still trying to put a stone in front of his tomb. And they think they've done it. and still trying to put a stone in front of his tomb. And they think they've done it. And they, ah, we're done with Jesus. My friend, the world has not seen the last of Jesus. He will have the last word. Amen. Isn't that a blessing?

Isn't that a blessing? Isn't that a blessing? And so they returned to Jerusalem with great joy. And they were in the temple daily. Blessing God and praising God. The Ron Dunn Podcast is available only for personal edification, Praise God. Thank you.