5/4/08 - Ascension - Eph. 1:16-23

CHRIST HAS GONE AWAY
- Far above all authorities
- For the good of his body, the Church

The disciples did not want this day to come. They knew it had to happen but they were hoping it wouldn’t be so soon. Of course, despite their wishful thinking, they found themselves with Christ on that day anyway, standing on a hill near Bethany. And as they watched, Jesus began to float in midair. And then he rose higher and higher, eventually into the clouds and out of sight. For good. That was it. The disciples were left standing there with mouths open staring into the sky, amazed at what they had just witnessed, astounded by the power of the Lord once again, but terrified that they were now all alone and heartbroken because they knew that their Savior wasn’t coming back. Christ had left them! Their Lord, their God had gone! They knew it had to happen, but that didn’t mean they were looking forward to it. Because now what? What were they supposed to do without their Leader? How were the going to be able to go on without their resurrected Lord guiding them every step of the way? What were they going to do? Per his instructions, they were supposed to wait for a little while. They were supposed to wait in Jerusalem until they received some sort of special gift of the Holy Spirit that the Lord was supposed to send them. And so they waited. For 10 days they waited not knowing what to do, not knowing when to do it, and not knowing how they were ever going to get it done. I’m sure those original disciples did not find any comfort whatsoever in the ascension of Christ at first because their Lord had just left them. Christ had gone away. And they knew that their Fortress, their Savior, their Rock would not be seen again until they reached the gates of Paradise. It must have been a sad and depressing day for them as they walked back into Jerusalem. It wouldn’t be long, though, before the disciples began to realize the blessings of Christ’s departure. They soon saw the reason for it and the comfort from it. Because although Christ had gone away, he had gone far above all authorities and he had gone for the good of his body, the Church.
30 some years later, the apostle Paul beautifully described this comfort that those first disciples soon came to enjoy. In his letter to the congregation in Ephesus, Paul expounds on the purpose of Christ’s ascension and what we receive because of it. And these words of Paul is the portion of Scripture we will focus on today, Ephesians 1:20-23: “[God] raised him from the dead and seated him at his right hand in the heavenly realms, far above all rule and authority, power and dominion, and every title that can be given, not only in the present age but also in the one to come. And God placed all things under his feet and appointed him to be head over everything for the church, which is his body, the fullness of him who fills everything in every way.” This is what the disciples soon found out. This is what they believed in and this is what got them through the trying times they would all encounter in the following years. For them Christ’s ascension changed from a depressing day of departure into a glorious fulfillment of Scripture, the completion of Christ’s glorification, and the guarantee that he now ruled all things and all people of all time for the good of his Church. And so this day was the event that gave them comfort during the persecutions that awaited them.
Christ’s ascension provided a great deal of comfort for the apostle Paul as well. Because when he wrote these words that we just read from the book of Ephesians, he was in prison. He was in Rome, under guard, for preaching the gospel. He was awaiting a trial that could lead to his death. But as he waited at the mercy of a cruel and unchristian ruler, he was driven by the Holy Spirit to write these words, “[God] raised him from the dead and seated him at his right hand in the heavenly realms, far above all rule and authority, power and dominion, and every title that can be given, not only in the present age but also in the one to come.” The ultimate earthly authority at the time was Nero, the Roman emperor. A persecutor of Christians, a murderer of his own mother, and, as many of the Roman emperors before and after him, a frequent partaker in the sinful extravagances of life. This was the authority to which Paul was subjected. The same authority in control of the world around the Mediterranean Sea at that time. The same authority that controlled the land of Israel. The same authority whose successor would, less than 10 years later, destroy the city of Jerusalem and the Lord’s temple constructed there. The Roman authority had power and strength and far reaching influence at that time. And Christians did not benefit from it. They suffered. They were oppressed. They were burdened by the rule of the Romans.
And so Paul writes for these Christians and for us: Christ is “far above all rule and authority, power and dominion, and every title that can be given.” No matter how powerful a ruler may be and no matter how domineering or oppressive a government may become, Christ is far above them all. He ascended into heaven from that hill near Bethany so that he could sit at the right hand of his Father and rule all things for all time. And so the title of “Christ the Lord” trumps “president” or “chancellor” or “emperor” or “king.” Christ the Lord rules. Christ the Lord is in control. And no one on this earth and not anyone even in the dregs of hell will ever be able to change that. What a comforting thing Christ’s ascension was for Paul during those times of imprisonment! And what a comforting thing it was for the other Christians living under the Roman rule in those days! Their risen and ascended Lord was the one who truly was in charge. No imperial decree could prevent the daily protection the Lord provided for his people. No well-equipped well-trained army could even come close to disrupting the Lord from carrying out his will. Because Christ is far above all power and authority! He answers to no one! On the contrary: everyone and everything, every office and every title, every blade of grass and every unreachable galaxy answers to him and to him alone.
As I was looking through this words this last week, I realized: we usually do not give the Lord the recognition he deserves. We give far too much credit to the laws and the institutions and the rulers in this world - as if they were actually in control! We are so concerned at times about who is in control in our lives. We worry about who the next president will be and what the next president will do. We get upset when federal or state or city laws pass with which we don’t agree. We shake our heads in disgust and lose sleep over our incapable and unqualified boss, our unfair parents, or the leadership of our Synod. But how do those people in those positions in any way change the Lord and his rule? Even if an atheist becomes the president of the United States, someone who is completely anti-Christian and nowhere near morally reliable - how is that going to stop the Lord from spreading his Word to the lost? Even if Roe vs. Wade is never overturned and, in fact, the killing of unborn children becomes more common than it is now - what does that have to do with the Lord’s ability to protect and preserve those he loves? Even if your boss ruins your job, even if your parents ruin your childhood, even if the leaders of our church body ruin this Synod, how are those things going to change the Lord’s love and his guidance and his rule in your life? They won’t. No rule, no authority, no power can affect what the Lord wants to do. Because he is far above anyone and anything here. He will use those people and those positions as he pleases.
But we don’t see it that way when we are caught up in the moment. We forget that the Lord is in control no matter who has the authority here. And it’s more than just a “Whoops, I guess I probably should give the Lord a little more credit!” It’s a serious sin against the very 1st Commandment! “You shall have no other gods” means that you are supposed to trust in God above all things. You are not supposed to worry about who is leading on this earth, what is done by those leaders, or what might happen in your life because of what those authorities have decided. That is not trusting in the Lord. That is putting your hope and your trust in a sinner who happens to be in authority here or in decisions that are made here by sinners or in laws that are determined here by even more sinners. In fact, even the most Christian leader, even the most well-intentioned decision, even the most biblically based civil law will not make your life any better on their own. Because those things do not have any affect on your life by themselves. The one who is far above those things does. The one who is above every title that can be given does. The one who ascended into heaven and sits at the right hand of his Father does. And it is a serious sin not to give him credit for that.
But Christ, the one who has gone into heaven far above all authority, does not sit there as your judge waiting for you to mess up. Christ has gone into heaven as the ruler of all things, but he has gone away for the good of his body, the Church. That’s why he ascended into heaven. He didn’t go to heaven to condemn sinners, he ascended for their good. To lead them and guide them and protect them. The Lord ascended to take care of us! And what a unique thing that is for such a powerful ruler! The one who is in control of everything does not gloat, he does not rub his power and glory in our faces, he does not parade around so everyone can see his grandeur and majesty, rather he rules for us. Everything he does is for our good. Everything that he decides and everyone that he uses is directed for the spiritual welfare of his children. That’s what he does every day. That’s what his policies are aimed at. That’s what his will is. And that’s always been his will. Before he ascended to the right hand of his Father, he ascended from a stone tomb in which had lain for three days. Before that he ascended a cross in complete humiliation and dishonor. Before that he ascended a mountain to be transfigured, he ascended the temple to be tempted by the devil, and he ascended from the Jordan River at his baptism. The Lord “ascended” so to speak in quite a few ways during his life. And each time he did it for you. Even if it wasn’t going to be very pleasant. Especially if it wasn’t going to be very pleasant! He sought out those things that were painful and frightening and downright hellish, because he didn’t want you to have go through them yourself.
That’s your King. That’s the character of the one who now rules you and your life and your life to come. That’s the one who promises you forgiveness. And you can know you have forgiveness for all your sins because he’s the one who earned it, he’s powerful enough to give it to you, and he’s loving enough to want to grant you that gift although it is completely undeserved. That’s your King! The one who descended to this earth to take the form of a little baby. And the one who ascended into heaven, not as a humble baby in barn, but as a glorious Lord to sit at his Father’s side. And he will descend again as our glorious Lord to come back for each and every one of us who belongs to his body, the Church.
Christ’s ascension is a powerful picture of Christ’s love. It is the culmination of his work on this earth and the official beginning of his rule into all eternity. And although it was the last day he was physically seen by his disciples in this world, it was also a foretaste of what all people will see on the Last Day. Ascension is a great day for Christians! Ascension is a comforting day! It is a crucially important day! Because although Christ has gone away, he has gone away to rule. He has gone away for us. And because of those very things he will come for us again.
Amen.

“Now have come the salvation and the power and the kingdom of our God and the authority of his Christ.” - Rev. 12:10a