Ascension 2022
Opening:
Psalm 13
Call to worship:
Psalm 68.1-18
Historical Reading:
Nicene Creed
Song:
Come thou fount
Confession & Pardon
Song:
Doxology
Song:
In Christ Alone
Sermon:
Ascension 2022
Dr. Alex Loginow
Introduction
Today is National Biscuit Day. Apparently it is also Pink Flamingo Day. Yesterday was national cheeseburger day. Anabelle and I celebrated with some Burger King. There has been a trend in the last few decades to assign a national day to just about everything under the sun. While we are living in a strange cultural moment now where every single day is some kind of day of national observance, for much of human history people have always seen the value in having specific days of remembrance.
This past Thursday was an important day of remembrance on the Church calendar. Thursday was Ascension Day. Ascension day is when we remember the ascension of Christ. Forty days after Easter Jesus Christ ascended to heaven. That makes today Ascension Sunday – the day we celebrate the ascension of Christ as a church.
The sad truth is that more low church Protestants in America celebrates Mother’s Day or Father’s Day at church than celebrate Ascension, or Pentecost, which is next Sunday or Trinity Sunday, which is two weeks from today. We celebrate Ascension, Pentecost, and Trinity every year at Christ Community Church because these doctrines are essential elements of the gospel. For 2,000 years Christians have confessed in the Apostles’ Creed, “We believe…Jesus Christ…ascended to heaven and sits at the right hand of the Father almighty.” This morning in the Nicene Creed we confessed, “[Jesus] ascended to heaven and is seated at the right hand of the Father.” The ascension of Christ has been an integral facet of historic orthodox Christianity since it’s inception.
The sermon for this Ascension 2022 is from Ephesians 4.8-12. In this text the Apostle Paul, under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, reveals to us how intensely practical the ascension of Christ is for us. Paul does this by showing us a prototype for the ascension, he then presents the ascension to us, and finally he reveals one of the purposes of the ascension of Jesus Christ.
A Prototype of the Ascension
We start in verse 8 with a prototype of the ascension of Christ. Ephesians 4 begins with Paul commanding the church to be unified and to love each other. We should be unified because there is one Holy Spirit and he unifies the body. We have one Lord, one faith, one baptism, one God and Father of all who believe. Paul then grounds our unity of faith in the ascension of the Lord Jesus Christ.
But before Paul presents the ascension to us he reveals that a prototype of the ascension of Christ was given long ago. In verse 8 Paul writes, therefore it says…. The word therefore clues us in that Paul’s about to connect what he just wrote with what he’s about to write. Therefore it says; the it in this phrase refers to Scripture. This is a beautiful theological phrase. Paul is telling us what Scripture says.
The Bible isn’t merely a book that you read; the Bible is a book that reads you. It speaks. Scripture is the very Word of God. It is living and active and sharper than a two-edged sword (Heb 4.12). Scripture cuts to your very heart.
This is why it is imperative that we practice expository preaching every Sunday here at Christ Community Church. We need to hear from God. This is why it is so good for your soul to read God’s Word every day. Regardless of what you’re reading, Scripture shapes you. God’s Word isn’t merely read or heard; God’s Word speaks.
The English translation accurately conveys the form of this verb. It is a present active verb. Paul does not say, “it said.” No, he writes, it says. This passage he’s quoting from Psalm 68.18 is not merely something that was said in the past, Psalm 68.18 still speaks. It is speaking right now to us on May 29, 2022. Every time you read the Bible or hear Scripture preached God is speaking. Lord, give us ears to hear!
Paul then quotes what we read in our call to worship: Psalm 68.18, which says, you ascended on high, leading a host of captives in your train and receiving gifts among men. Psalm 68 is a psalm of David wherein David declares the victory of YHWH in leading Israel from Egypt to the Promised Land. David probably wrote it as he was bringing the tabernacle into Jerusalem as he takes the throne. So the Psalm summarizes the events of Exodus – Samuel. In verse 18 David writes about what happened at Mount Sinai.
David writes, you ascend on high. The you David refers to is either Moses or YHWH. We don’t know for sure whether David means YHWH or Moses; commentators disagree. Either way, the point is the same because, as we have seen and will see in our sermon series through Exodus, YHWH led Israel through Moses. Whether it is YHWH or Moses, he led a host of captives, which is Israel. They were captives in Egypt redeemed through the exodus.
Psalm 68.18 then says and received gifts among men. At Sinai Israel took the plunder from Egypt and used it to build the tabernacle. And Paul quotes this verse because he’s telling us that the ascent to Sinai was a prototype of a greater ascension. Paul is instructing us that Moses and YHWH ascended the mountain of God to deliver the 10 commandments and the instructions for the tabernacle and that this was a shadow of a greater ascension to come. David writes Psalm 68 as he’s ascending to Jerusalem with the tabernacle and he’s writing about when Moses ascended Mt. Sinai to get YHWH’s instructions for the tabernacle and both of these events are providentially ordained historical events to point us forward to the ascent of the true and better Moses; the son of David, Jesus Christ.
The first point of application for us this morning is one we note often here at Christ Community Church. We must always read all of Scripture in light of the good news of the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ. Paul is not misunderstanding or misquoting Psalm 68.18 but he is rightly interpreting Psalm 68 in light of the gospel of Jesus Christ. We too must interpret the Old Testament in light of Jesus Christ. To interpret the Old Testament apart from the gospel of Jesus Christ would mean we are not reading the Old Testament as Christians. Jesus and the apostles always read the Old Testament in light of the gospel of Christ. We must always do the same.
A Presentation of the Ascension
Paul then moves from describing a prototype of the ascension from Psalm 68.18 to presenting the ascension to us. In verses 9-10 Paul writes, (In saying, “He ascended,” what does it mean but that he had also descended into the lower regions, the earth? He who descended is the one who also ascended far above all the heavens, that he might fill all things.) Here Paul gives us a two-verse summary of the incarnation and ascension of Jesus Christ. He tells us that Christ descended to the lower regions, the earth.
Theologians debate whether the descent to the lower regions signifies Jesus’ incarnation in general or to his death and burial specifically. Either way the death and burial are included in Christ’s incarnation. Jesus is the eternal Son of God who has always existed with the Father and the Holy Spirit. In the fullness of time he was conceived by the Holy Spirit and born of the Virgin Mary. He lived a truly human life yet without sin (Heb 4.15). He died on the cross bearing the wrath of God for the sins of his people. He was buried and on the third day he rose again from the dead. Forty days later he ascended far above the heavens.
Because Jesus Christ ascended to the right hand of the Father he now fills all things. The human body of Jesus of Nazareth is in heaven now. We had Renee Ross’ funeral a week and a half ago. Like all of the saints who went before her, Renee’s soul is now in heaven. But it isn’t just Jesus’ soul that is in heaven his body is too.
One theologian said of this phrase, “Christ, as God, is present everywhere; as glorified man, He can be present anywhere” Jesus is truly God so he is omnipresent. Jesus is also now a glorified human so he can be present anywhere he wishes. Jesus revealed this during the 40 days between his resurrection and ascension when he would appear and disappear at will. Now his human body is at the right hand of the Father but through the Holy Spirit he is with us always.
A Purpose of the Ascension
We have seen a prototype of the ascension of Christ from Psalm 68.18. We have also seen the ascension itself. The final point we see in this text is one of the purposes of the ascension of Jesus Christ. In verses 11-12 the Apostle Paul writes, and he gave the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, the shepherds and teachers, to equip the saints for the work of ministry, for building up the body of Christ. One of the purposes of Jesus’ ascension to heaven is that he would give these offices to equip Christians to do the work of ministry to build the church.
The apostles, prophets, evangelists, shepherds, and teachers are the gifts that Paul mentioned in verse 8. What’s interesting is that when Paul quotes Psalm 68.18 in Ephesians 4.8 he changes it, or should we say he interprets it Christocentrically. Psalm 68.18 says he received gifts from men. But Paul doesn’t write, received gifts among men; he writes, he gave gifts to men. Some have tried to argue that Paul is either misquoting Psalm 68 or that he’s disregarding the original text to make his point, or maybe even that Paul is quoting something else. But I don’t think that’s the case.
Jim Hamilton argues that Paul is correctly interpreting Psalm 68.18 in light of the Christ event. Remember in Psalm 68 David is reflecting back on when Israel gave the plunder of Egypt to Moses to build the tabernacle. The receiving of the gifts was for the purpose of building the tabernacle, which is where God dwelt with his people. This was providentially pointing forward to Christ who gives these offices as gifts to build the new covenant tabernacle – the church. The church is where God dwells with his people now.
And the gifts that Christ gives to build the church are apostles, prophets, evangelists, shepherds, and teachers. Regardless of whether you’re a cessationist (meaning you believe the miraculous gifts of the New Testament were used primarily to verify the message of the apostles and subsequently with the death of the apostles and the completion of the canon that the miraculous gifts have ceased) or a continuationist (meaning you believe the miraculous gifts are still in effect today) we can agree that all of these offices – apostle, prophet, evangelist, shepherd, and teacher – existed or still exist for the purpose of declaring and explaining the Word of God. That is what the apostles did; that is what the prophets did; that is what evangelists have done; that is what shepherds and teachers do. One of the reasons Jesus Christ ascended to heaven was so that he could give the gift of Bible expositors and teachers and these are the primary gifts that equip the saints to do the work of ministry to build up the church. Christ’s primary means of equipping believers to do ministry is the preaching and teaching of Scripture.
Paul is telling us here that the means for church growth given by the ascended Christ is not cool music, a big youth group, fun kid’s programs, relevant or funny messages, hip branding, a successful business model, being attractional or seeker-sensitive, or any number of silly ideas that men cook up for church growth. Paul tells us that the ascended Lord Jesus builds his church through the ministry of the saints and that the saints are equipped to do the work of ministry through faithful Bible preaching. Again, this is why we practice expository preaching here at Christ Community Church. This is why our liturgy is saturated with the Word of God. Jesus will build his church through his Word. Any church that is seeking to build the church through any other method is swimming against the stream of the intention of the ascended Lord Jesus Christ.
A final point of application is that the ascended Christ is building his church through the saints who are equipped to do the work of ministry. Sometimes people will ask me, “How long have you been in the ministry?” What they mean by that is, “how long have you been a full-time pastor?” I have basically been a full-time pastor for the entirety of my adult life. I started pastoring 12 and ½ years ago at 21 years old. Bethany and I had been married for a whole five months.
But when Paul says the work of ministry in verse 12 he’s not merely talking about those who are paid to serve the church, pastors or missionaries, Paul is talking about every Christian. It is the saints who are equipped to do the work of ministry. When Paul writes the word saints he’s not identifying a special class of believers or the NFL team in New Orleans. He’s talking about those who repent of their sin and place their faith in Jesus Christ.
A saint is everyone who acknowledges that God is holy and confesses that they themselves are a sinner and who trusts in Christ alone. They are set apart from the world, the flesh, and the devil and they are set apart to Christ. And they are set apart to build the church through the work of ministry. We are all called to build the church up through the work of ministry. What is the work of ministry?
The work of ministry includes all of the ways that we glorify our triune God by remembering and proclaiming the death and resurrection of Christ in the local church. The work of ministry is preaching and teaching – teaching men, women, and children how to follow Jesus. We do this in our worship service, our classes, bible studies, and small groups. The work of ministry is leading us through the weekly liturgy, which includes singing, prayer, confession of sin, and the sacraments of baptism and the Lord’s Supper. The work of ministry is mercy ministry led by deacons and deaconesses – caring for widows, orphans, and the poor.
The work of ministry is sharing the gospel with those who do not believe and reminding those who do believe of that same gospel. The work of ministry is faithful qualified men shepherding the church as Elders and church members faithfully submitting to godly Elders. The work of ministry is men leading their wives and children in the fear and admonition of the Lord. The work of ministry is husbands and wives faithfully loving each other until one of them dies. The work of ministry is giving tithes and offerings to sustain the church. The work of ministry is practicing church discipline for the purity of the church and for the holiness of her members.
In short the work of ministry is obeying everything Scripture commands through faith in Christ alone for the glory of God and for the good of humanity. Jesus Christ ascended to heaven. Jesus then gave the gift of faithful Bible teachers to equip all Christians to do the work of ministry. The result of these Bible-equipped believers doing the work of ministry is that Jesus builds his church.
Conclusion
Today may be biscuit day or pink flamingo day or whatever silly day that the culture wants to recognize but as Christians today we celebrate the ascension of the Lord Jesus Christ. Jesus’ ascension to the right hand of God the Father was foretold in the Old Testament, it was accomplished in history, and it was for the purpose of building Christ’s church. For 2,000 years Christ Jesus has been ruling and reining at the right hand of God the Father. In that time he has continued to build his church by equipping his saints to do the work of ministry. May Jesus continue to build Christ Community Church through the ministry of each and every one of us. Happy Ascension Sunday!