After the Resurrection Jesus spent time with his Disciples speaking to them about the Kingdom of God and how as followers of Jesus they, and all believers should live.
Jesus, in many ways, demonstrates to them that it is he himself. They know that he lives and there is no doubt in their minds that this is true.
The Son of God
"and was declared to be the Son of God in power according to the Spirit of holiness by his resurrection from the dead, Jesus Christ our Lord," Rm:1:4
The Resurrection has confirmed Jesus' divinity, that he is fully God even as he is fully human. The Resurrection has also confirmed the power of the cross, for without the Resurrection the cross would have no meaning.
Jesus Ascends
They have come to see Jesus as no mere "Earth-bound" personality , that is "just a man alone", they have come to see who Jesus is; the Son of God. Jesus has not just bodily changed locations, that is from Earth to Heaven, rather Jesus has ascended in their hearts and minds. Jesus is lifted up, that is "exulted" in their view and understanding of who Jesus is he has drawn them to himself and they worship him.
"And I, when I am lifted up (Exulted) from the earth, will draw all people to myself." Jhn:12:32
Thru Jesus' saving work for each and all humanity, Jesus exulted he is drawn all to him, that means he has accomplished all our salvation, which none of us could have done.
At The Throne of God
Jesus is Ascended and we now see him there at the throne of God as our Great High Priest on our behalf.
But with and thru Jesus , our Lord has ascended humanity within Himself; in His Glorified Resurrected state, this means , in Him we now are raised up and ascended along with Him.
"But God, who is rich in mercy, for his great love with which he loved us, Even when we were dead in sins, has quickened us together with Christ, (by grace you are saved;) And has raised us up together, and made us sit together in heavenly places in Christ Jesus: That in the ages to come he might show the exceeding riches of his grace in his kindness toward us through Christ Jesus.For by grace are you saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: Not of works, lest any man should boast. For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to good works, which God has before ordained that we should walk in them." Ephesians:2:4-10
The Great God, thru the glorified humanity of His Son Jesus Christ, views each of us to be with Him in His Jesus' glorified person.
This was made possible by The eternal Son of God, the second person of the Holy Trinity taking on our humanity in the Incarnation.
Understand, Jesus is not the Son of God because He was sent but rather He was sent because He is the Son of God.
The Incarnation, that is Jesus' humanity , God in the flesh , makes the cross and His death and resurrection possible. By being one of us, that is being fully human, Jesus could die for all of us and being fully God His life is worth more than the sum total of all humanity , this is why His blood has a greater value than any others.
The value of the blood is found in the value of the life its sustains, the blood of Jesus sustained the life of God in the flesh therefore is of infinitely greater value.
When Jesus was resurrected He did not leave His humanity in the tomb, but rather it was glorified and Jesus is, even now still both fully God and full human. Humanity and deity have been given union in Him.
The Vicarious Humanity of Jesus
It is in Jesus being "one of us" he can be our perfect representative for all who will but freely receive it, so that when God looks upon us ,the Father sees Jesus and when he looks upon Jesus He sees us. This is partly what the ancient church called "the vicarious humanity of Jesus" that is Jesus, provides us each and all who but freely receive it, with the perfect human response for each and all of us to God and accomplish our salvation, we can enter this salvation by simply receiving it freely.
Jesus is "God with us" through the presences of God the Holy Spirit,who manifested in the lives of the Disciples ten days after Jesus' bodily Ascension on Pentecost, He is "us with God" in his glorified humanity.
This speaks to each and all of us that when Jesus is Ascended in our hearts and minds, that means when we see him for who he is, the Spirit of God then manifest in the lives of believers.
Believers Ascended
Believers are even now with Jesus in the Heavens this is what the Apostle Paul was speaking of in Ephesians, that we believers share in Jesus' Son-ship even now , that is Jesus has "drawn all men to himself".
" Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with all spiritual blessings in heavenly places in Christ: According as he has chosen us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before him in love: Having predestinated us to the adoption of children by Jesus Christ to himself, according to the good pleasure of his will, To the praise of the glory of his grace, wherein he has made us accepted in the beloved. In whom we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of his grace; "Ephesians:1:3-7 .
When we enter eternity it only shows us what is already true for us in Jesus.
Gifts for Us
When Jesus ascended He bestowed upon us "gifts"
through the Holy Spirit that we may use to live out His ministry and life upon
the Earth, we , the Church, Christians ,do collectively what Jesus did
personally .
But to every one of us is given grace according to the measure of the gift of Christ.
Why he said, When he ascended up on high, he led captivity captive, and gave gifts to men.
(Now that he ascended, what is it but that he also descended first into
the lower parts of the earth? He that descended is the same also that
ascended up far above all heavens, that he might fill all things.)
And he gave some, apostles; and some, prophets; and some, evangelists; and some, pastors and teachers;
For the perfecting of the saints, for the work of the ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ: Till
we all come in the unity of the faith, and of the knowledge of the Son
of God, to a perfect man, to the measure of the stature of the fullness
of Christ":Ephesians:4:1-13
Preparing A Place
Our
Lord is even now working with, in and for us as He oversees our salvation.
Jesus is preparing us for eternity and eternity for us. That place is
under preparation and will be fully ours when we enter Eternity, but it
is our's
even now in and with Him.
Let not your heart be troubled: you believe in God, believe also in me. In my Father's house are many mansions: if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you.And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again, and receive you to myself; that where I am, there you may be also"John:14:1-3
Let not your heart be troubled: you believe in God, believe also in me. In my Father's house are many mansions: if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you.And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again, and receive you to myself; that where I am, there you may be also"John:14:1-3
Jesus
is there as us "not just one of us" , that is humanity thru him, is with God , Jesus is
there to being for
us everything we need Him to be, we shear in His ascension in His
humanity's He is there for each of us if we will freely receive it.
There
Being Our Priest
Jesus has Passed
into the Heavens and is therefor
us that we can approach our God in times of our need, Jesus acts on our
behalf. Jesus has walked this Earth and understands our life for He has
lived it, God has seen our human existence thru our eyes, not just witnessed it from afar.
Jesus knows what the human condition is our Lord has faced life's challenges Jesus knows what we all go through from first hand experiences . Therefore we can be assured of divine assistance when we are need.
"Seeing then that we have a great high priest, that is passed into the heavens, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold fast our profession. For we have not an high priest which cannot be touched with the feeling of our infirmities; but was in all points tempted like as we are, yet without sin. Let us therefore come boldly to the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy, and find grace to help in time of need"Hebrews:4:14-16
Jesus knows what the human condition is our Lord has faced life's challenges Jesus knows what we all go through from first hand experiences . Therefore we can be assured of divine assistance when we are need.
"Seeing then that we have a great high priest, that is passed into the heavens, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold fast our profession. For we have not an high priest which cannot be touched with the feeling of our infirmities; but was in all points tempted like as we are, yet without sin. Let us therefore come boldly to the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy, and find grace to help in time of need"Hebrews:4:14-16
His Ascension is Our's
Jesus' Ascension guarantees, that ultimately our place in eternity is there, of which he is now in preparing for us and in us.
When Jesus is Ascended in our hearts and minds we wroship him and can be fully assured that we will join Him in glory , fully experiencing the Ascension that we have in him , that Jesus is for us.
The Ascension of Jesus not only grants us a future confidence but even now a present confidence here in this life knowing that Jesus is there standing for and with us and being "Us with God".
We then will worship Jesus for he is the Ascension ......His Ascension is Our's.......Amen.
Rev. Todd Crouch, Pastor
The
Fountain of Life Church a Congregation of Grace Communion
2101 Old National Pike.
2101 Old National Pike.
Washington,
Pennsylvania. www.gcfountainoflife.org
The Fountain of Life is heard on the RKP Radio Network 1710 and 1670 AM in Washington and North Franklin ,and 1790 AM in the Arden Fair Grounds area of Washington Pennsylvania, and on 1710 AM in Bentleyville and Monongahela, Pennsylvania. And online around the world at www.rkpradio.com
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