Word of Salvation – April 2018
The Ascended Christ’s Authority
By Rev. John Westendorp
Text: Eph. 1:20-23 & H.C. LD 19 [Q/A 50,51]
Theme: Jesus’ ascension reminds us that Christ has honour and power now over all things for the church.
Introd: How relevant is Ascension Day in our society?
The whole world celebrates Christmas – the coming of Jesus into the world.
And Good Friday is a crucial day in the Christian calendar.
We remember that Jesus died for the sins of the world.
And of course Easter Sunday couldn’t possibly be ignored.
On that day the church celebrates the resurrection of Jesus from the dead.
All those Christian feasts are not only important for the church.
Society too has adopted them – for better or for worse.
If not as holy days then at least as holidays.
But Ascension Day…? Most people around us haven’t even heard of it.
And many Christian churches don’t celebrate it either.
That’s true also of many Reformed Churches.
Many deal with the subject of Christ’s ascension on the following Sunday.
Some don’t even bother to do that.
So… what’s so important about the ascension of Jesus? Should we too maybe just ignore it?
It seems such a very ordinary event in comparison to Christmas, Good Friday and Easter.
Surely it was simply Jesus returning to heaven after His 33 years here on earth.
We would even expect that to happen – after all, His work here was done.
A] THE ASCENSION AS INSEPARABLE FROM THE WORK OF CHRIST NOW.
a) The actual process of Jesus ascending may then not seem all that meaningful for us today.
Well, of course it was for the disciples, as they stood with Jesus on the Mountain.
They actually witnessed Jesus leaving them.
And that was nice for Jesus and nice for the disciples but it hardly seems relevant today.
It certainly doesn’t seem worth coming to church for on a Thursday evening.
If we’re inclined to think that way then we ought to consider what the ascension of Jesus resulted in.
Or if you like – what it meant for Jesus. That’s important.
Because if it was important for Jesus it will also be important for us.
The Bible and our Creeds and Confessions speak of Jesus as in heaven with God the Father.
Ephesians speaks of the power of God which He demonstrated in raising Jesus…
and making Him sit at His right hand in the heavenly realms.
The Apostle’s Creed puts that teaching of the Bible this way:
“He ascended into heaven and sits at the right hand of God the Father Almighty.”
So the importance of Jesus’ ascension is not so much the actual ascension itself.
It is especially that Jesus ascended into heaven to sit at God’s right hand.
That’s the crucial point: Jesus sits down at God’s right hand.
But let’s not make the mistake of thinking of that in human terms.
For us “sitting down” often means just resting from hard work.
Or maybe we’re just sitting down because we’re bored… we have nothing else to do.
Jesus did not ascend to sit down in heaven because He had nothing else left to do.
It is true of course that Jesus HAD finished His great work of saving us.
So it certainly points us to the fact that His work was finished. A sign of salvation achieved.
But we must not think that His great work of salvation was so demanding
and that Jesus was so tired that He needed to sit down and rest from His work.
b) What is even more important is to notice where Jesus sat down.
Both our text and the Creed are very specific about this.
Jesus ascended to sit AT GOD’S RIGHT HAND.
That does present some problems for us: God is Spirit – so we can’t take that literally.
And yet it is extremely meaningful that Jesus sat down at God’s right hand.
There is something powerfully symbolic about that.
It actually speaks to us of two things:
First of all this is symbolic language for a place of honour.
When an important banquet is held…
then the guest of honour is usually seated at the RIGHT HAND of the host.
You may recall that the mother of two disciples, James and John, once came to Jesus.
And she asked that her two sons could sit one on either side of Jesus.
They were places of honour – and the right hand side was the highest honour.
[I notice she didn’t ask which one would be on the right hand side.
She must have decided to leave that to Jesus, not wanting to discriminate.]
We also find this as a major theme in the book of Revelation.
The ascended Jesus is seated in heaven… but it is so that He may receive honour and glory.
Secondly, the right hand is also symbolic as the place of authority.
We still speak of someone as being someone’s right-hand man.
The American president’s R.H. man is the US Secretary of State.
As such he can act with all the authority of the president… on his behalf.
That too is a major theme in the book of Revelation.
Jesus is seated… but seated on a throne. He has authority.
And that is spelled out repeatedly in Revelations. Jesus reigns.
c) All this gives quite a different angle on Jesus ascension.
We could have said at the outset that for Jesus the ascension was His “home-coming”.
And that’s true. BUT… now we see that it is far more than that.
The ascension of Jesus is really the coronation of the King.
Jesus ascends into heaven to be crowned as Ruler.
And there to be given honour and glory; authority and power.
We have further evidence for this in the so called “coronation psalms”.
We read one of them earlier – Psalm 110.
The Lord said to my Lord: “Sit at my right hand…!”
We sang another one of those coronation Psalms – Psalm 68.
Let God arise and by His might, put all His enemies to flight.
And then in the NT those Psalms are applied to the ascended Jesus.
For example, at Pentecost Peter quotes Psalm 110 and applies it to Jesus in heaven.
Here I have a major problem with the way Christians often read the book of Revelation.
We read the book of Revelation as if it only applied to the end of time.
Wrong..! The book of Revelation impresses on us that glory, honour and majesty of Jesus.
But not just when He comes again… rather the honour and glory He has now.
That is also true for Jesus’ authority and power to rule.
It is not just an end-time reality that Jesus will reign… one day. He already does.
That’s why Paul states that at the end the Son will hand authority back to the Father.
So the ascension impresses on us that to Jesus belong both honour and power NOW.
B] CHRIST’S AUTHORITY OVER ALL THINGS.
a) We should also note the absoluteness of the authority of Christ.
Our text tells that He is “Head over ALL things”.
That implies that nothing is excluded from the authority of Jesus.
That is pointed out to us in many ways in Scripture.
Notice, for example, vs.21 of Ephesians 1.
The seating of Jesus as the Father’s right hand…
puts Him “far above all rule and authority, power and dominion”.
And the text adds that this is both in the present age and in the age to come.
Or we think of those well-known words at the end of Math 28 (vs.18) where Jesus said:
All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me.
And that’s why the book of Revelations refers to Him as: Lord of lords and King of Kings.
His authority and His power is absolute.
God rules – but He now rules thru Jesus Christ His Son.
And there is nothing… nothing at all outside of His power and authority.
That is a privilege Jesus won by His atoning work – to be total command of all things.
So the ascension of Jesus is really a great and glorious climax to His work.
Jesus is seated… not because He finished His work as Saviour and has nothing more to do.
No, He sits on the throne of the universe.
At His ascension He took up His role as sovereign Lord.
b) This has some very important implications for the way we as Christians think about life.
It ought to affect our world-view. The way we think about what goes on around us.
It ought to impact the way we understand events in our life and the way we react to them.
Our whole way of looking at life and society is affected.
This not only affects our view of who Jesus is – the absolute Lord of universe.
It also affects our view of the society, of our culture, of the world, in fact whole universe.
Just think: All of life is now under the sovereign control of the One who gave Himself for us.
So there is not the tiniest part of your life or mine that doesn’t come under His Lordship.
There is not the minutest aspect of life in our society and in the world
that His authority does not control and claim.
This was perhaps best put by Abraham Kuyper. He said:
“There is not a square inch of the universe about which Jesus doesn’t say: That’s mine!”
So the ascension of Jesus is a reminder of the absolute authority
of the very one who loved us and gave Himself for us on Calvary.
c) This is not just some theory folks.
It isn’t just an interesting bit of theology… some profound Christian teaching.
No! It is extremely practical… and intensely comforting… and reassuring.
It is in fact, this is an outlook needed especially in troubled times.
It reminds us who is in charge.
It’s not Canberra nor Washington or Moscow which ultimately hold the strings to world affairs.
In the final analysis it isn’t the government or big business that runs this country.
And in our own lives things do not happen randomly and by chance.
Nor is life meaningless and without purpose. Let me share two practical applications.
I know a Christian businessman whose business was slowly but surely going down the gurgler.
That was due totally to circumstances beyond his control.
But the bottom line for Him was that Jesus has absolute authority over everything.
So he concluded that the business wasn’t his business, it was the Lord’s.
And if the Lord Jesus had some purpose in ruining the business then that was up to Him.
The other example is that we came home once to find our house trashed and things stolen.
The Lord in infinite wisdom and power had ways of using that for His glory.
I’m not suggesting that I know all the reason why it happened.
But I know that Jesus was not temporarily absent from His throne on that Monday morning.
That too had some small part to play in His plans and purposes. That gave us peace.
Maybe you suspects that nobody controls human affairs. Life is just too confusing and chaotic.
Disasters in human relationships abound… families are dysfunctional.
Violence and murder… to say nothing of abortion that kills thousands every year.
And governments, instead of standing for strong moral principles
so often even help to break them down ever further.
Life is meaningless… it’s at the mercy of blind fate.
But, no! The Father rules all things thru the ascended and exalted Christ.
And the authority of Jesus extends over our nation… and over our city and over our personal lives.
That is precisely what the MILLENNIUM in Rev. 20 is all about.
Many see that millennium, that 1000 year reign of Christ, as something in the future.
But it isn’t. I side with those who don’t see this as some future golden age.
But who see this is a picture of the reign of Christ NOW.
Absolute authority is in the hands of Jesus.
And nothing in my life or yours is excluded from His loving control.
C] THE ASCENDED CHRIST AS HEAD OF HIS CHURCH.
a) There is one important application of Christ’s authority we must especially single out.
All authority belongs to the ascended Jesus… so authority over the church is His too.
And our text in Ephesians certainly mentions that too.
Ephesians uses the image of the Head and the body. Christ is the Head and the church His body.
Let’s admit that it’s not difficult to become disillusioned with the church.
Just as we can easily get disillusioned with society around us.
We see the dumb things that happen in the church… the hurtful things.
It’s often so very obvious that the church is a gathering of sinners.
But here in this imagery of the Head and the Body we get another outlook.
The church, that community of sinful people, is inseparably joined to Christ.
Your head controls and regulates your body. Your head has authority over your body.
So too Christ is in control of the church – it’s under HIS authority.
That’s a wonderful picture of the church.
It means the church is not your church… nor is it my church.
Sometimes we talk and act as though it was OUR church.
It isn’t even the Session’s Church but it is Christ’s church.
Therefore the church must submit to Jesus.
And for that reason we must always seek to do things in the church
in a way that is according to His will.
Ultimately He is in control and things will happen… must happen… the way HE wants them to.
b) However there is something even more wonderfull in Eph. 1:22.
That verse spells out the absolute authority of the Lord Jesus Christ.
Everything is under His power and control.
But now please note:
The Church is not just listed as merely another thing over which He is Lord.
Rather all this absolute authority is especially for the purpose of serving the church.
Notice how the text reads:
God appointed Him to be Head over ALL things FOR the church.
NOT: Head over all things INCLUDING the church.
BUT: Head over all things FOR the church.
All authority is wielded by Him.
But the reason for it all is so that His purpose for His church, His people, is fulfilled.
All that authority and control is for the purpose of serving the church, His Body.
What a wonderful view of world and of history.
Jesus has been given all authority in heaven and earth.
He ascended to take up that sovereign control of all things.
But somehow for this great goal: to seek the wellbeing of “His Body” the church.
c) Again this isn’t just a nice bit of theology… not just some interesting teaching.
Again there are some very practical applications in this for us.
The Heidelberg Catechism Q/A.51 speaks of BENEFITS for us in the fact that Christ is the head.
And it lists two great benefits.
First of all: From heaven and thru His Spirit He POURS out His gifts on us.
He doesn’t just SEND His blessings…not in dribs & drabs.
No He POURS them out upon His church.
He does that as the Sovereign Lord of the universe.
The One who owns the cattle on a thousand hills and the wealth in every mine.
It all belongs to Him who has authority over everything.
But He particularly wants to use it to bless His church.
Second: By His power (auth.) He defends and keeps us safe from all enemies.
In other words His authority is especially for the purpose of protecting His people.
That too is a theme that we find again and again in the Bible.
Jesus said that no one could ever snatch us out of His hand.
He said that nothing in all creation could ever separate us from His love.
Why? Well because He is the One who has been give absolute authority.
Everything is subject to Him… also our enemies.
I think the enemies here especially refer to the world, the flesh and the devil.
They especially are the enemies of the Christian.
And Jesus promises us that He will keep us from them in such a way
that we will be His for ever and ever. What wonderful assurance that gives us.
In the light of Christmas and Good Friday and Easter
the ascension of Jesus may seem like a relatively unimportant event.
Just another episode in the relationship between Jesus and the apostles.
But if we remember that Jesus went there to sit at the right hand of the Father… as King;
and now everything in our life… and in this world… is in His hands…
and He uses all His power and authority to bless us, His church.
What a comfort and encouragement it is.
Jesus ascended into heaven to be given all authority in heaven and on earth. Amen.