Sermon -- The Ascension of our Lord, transferred (May 12, 2024)

ACTS 1:1-11

OUR ASCENDED LORD ESTABLISHES AN EVERLASTING KINGDOM.

In the name + of Jesus.

M:       Alleluia!  Christ is risen!

C:        He is risen indeed!  Alleluia!

      After Jesus rose from the dead, Jesus “presented himself alive to (his apostles) after his suffering by many proofs, appearing to them during forty days and speaking about the kingdom of God” (Acts 1:3).  Just as Moses spent 40 days on Mt. Sinai receiving the Law from God, so also Jesus spent 40 days with his apostles after his resurrection teaching them the word of God.  I don’t know if the apostles had any idea how long these appearances would last, but Jesus knew.  Since the time was short, Jesus was focused on what mattered.  Jesus spoke to them about the kingdom of God.  Our ascended Lord establishes an everlasting kingdom.

     Still, old ideas die hard deaths.  Israel had waited a long time for the Messiah and for the establishment of the Messianic kingdom.  In their minds, the Messianic kingdom was as much an earthly kingdom as it was a heavenly one.  I suppose some had no craving for a heavenly kingdom at all.  They envisioned the days of David and Solomon restored, and even greater.  This meant glory, prosperity, and peace in Jerusalem and the rest of Israel.  If God’s people were ruling over everything, then everything would be right with the world.

     The apostles were not immune to these ideas.  That’s why they asked Jesus, just before he ascended into heaven, “Lord, will you at this time restore the kingdom to Israel” (Acts 1:6)?  Jesus had done everything he had been sent to do.  The kingdom of God had been established, and Jesus held authority over all things.  The last thing to be done, in the apostles’ mind, was to reestablish the kingdom of Israel.  If Jesus is the king who lives and reigns over all things, it stood to reason that Israel would be the chief beneficiaries of his power.  Perhaps the apostles had visions of being princes in that new kingdom.  But Jesus gave no instructions about a political movement which would challenge the house of Herod for the rule in Jerusalem.  There were no plans drafted to subvert Roman rule.  Jesus focused them on the kingdom of God.

     Old ideas die hard deaths.  There are still people who envision a United States government ruled by Christians, as if that will cure all the problems in this world.  Now, on the one hand, having a Christian influence in the government might prevent laws that support or promote wickedness.  Jesus does not call us the salt of the earth for nothing.  The government is a gift of God which is established to promote righteousness and to punish wickedness.  How well any government does this is always a topic of debate.  No earthly government will ever be perfect because sinners are in it and sinners live under it.  People will always have different ideas about the righteousness which should be promoted and the wickedness that should be punished.  If there are more Christians in government, those moral standards are more likely to be in line with God’s word.  That would be a good thing.

     It is important for us to understand that we live under two kingdoms.  One is this worldly kingdom ruled by government.  But we also live under another kingdom—the kingdom of God.  That kingdom was established by Jesus’ death and resurrection.  Jesus entered his glory by fulfilling all that the Father had given him to do.  He was sent to atone for our unholy lives by his holy life.  And Jesus was sent to atone for our rebellious hearts and hands with his sacrificial death.  Jesus’ hands were nailed to the cross and his heart was run through with a spear to atone for us.  To affirm that Jesus’ life and death achieved all that Jesus was sent to do, he was raised from the dead.  The Father vindicated Jesus and validated his atoning work. 

     Our ascended Lord, who lives and reigns forever, established an everlasting kingdom.  This kingdom is ruled by grace.  In the kingdom of God, all sins are forgiven.  God’s love is poured out.  The devil is destroyed.  Death is overcome by eternal life.  And the shame of sin is covered by the glory of God.  You were baptized into this kingdom.  Through your baptism, Jesus has snatched you from the power of Satan and the terrors of death.  Jesus brought you into a kingdom of peace.  Our ascended Lord establishes an everlasting kingdom, and it is the only kingdom that will ever last.

     That is why Jesus responded to the apostles’ question as he did.  He told them, “It is not for you to know times or seasons that the Father has fixed 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 and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth” (Acts 1:7-8).  The apostles always had some interest in the earthly kingdoms that ruled over them.  They had to pay their taxes and to abide by laws, some of which were unjust and oppressive.  They had to live under these governments which were not kind to Christians.  Who wouldn’t want relief from that?  Nevertheless, Jesus told his apostles not to be concerned about it.  He had a greater kingdom for them to rejoice in and to proclaim.  Our ascended Lord establishes an everlasting kingdom.

     We live in two kingdoms—and earthly one and a heavenly one.  We often give more attention to the earthly kingdom than we ought.  I suppose because that is what is in front of us every day.  With a presidential election coming up in November, we may think about it even more.  Politicians make promises and present ideas to make the world a better place.  Who doesn’t want the world to be a better place?  But understand this: The kingdoms of this world are limited in power and duration.  Either the kingdom will pass away or you will.  But our ascended Lord establishes an everlasting kingdom.  The kingdom, the power, and the glory are his forever.

     The apostles and the early Christian Church did not live under a government in which governing officials were elected.  They had to live with the governor, king, or emperor they were stuck with.  We do have the privilege to elect our leaders.  When we support a particular candidate, we all have our own agendas we would like to see met.  It has been said that we vote with our wallets.  That is probably true for everyone.  We want to be sure that we have enough money to buy what we need and what we want.  Some want the environment to be pristine.  Some want health care to be more affordable or more accessible.  Some want to see an end to shootings, riots, crime, and wars.  Others simply want people to get along and their communities at peace.  What do you pray for and long for to make your life better?

     All of the blessings we pray for God grants to us according to his wisdom.  Sometimes God’s wisdom means he will let wicked, greedy men accumulate worldly gains at the expense of our wealth, our health, world peace, or the environment.  God often lets sinners freely act as sinners.  And lest you think it is inexcusable for God to do that, he lets you do it, too.  He does not seal up your mouth when you slander, sass, or curse.  He does not have you go blind or deaf when you look at or listen to things you should not.  But God does not let wicked men have total control.  Jesus Christ lives and reigns over all things.  He orchestrates world events so that kingdoms rise and fall and empires come and go.  Therefore, it is not our place to try to unravel what God is doing in world history.  And it is certainly not our place to declare on God’s behalf what God is doing.  He has not told us, so we can’t know.

     But we do know this: Our ascended Lord establishes an everlasting kingdom.  That means it will not pass away into the dustbins of history.  That means his blessings will always be given—forgiveness of sins, new life, and salvation.  More than that, our ascended Lord will bless us with the world we long for and pray for.  It will not look like it in a world of sorrows.  Not even Jesus was spared from false accusations, charges of demon possession, and other insulting remarks.  Jesus endured watching loved ones die, and he did not raise them all from the dead.  Their graves are still full.  Jesus also endured his own death as wicked men insulted and slandered him.  But Jesus did not establish a kingdom for this world.  Jesus’ eternal kingdom is a heavenly kingdom.

     Jesus rose from the dead and ascended to heaven to establish an everlasting kingdom.  What can we expect from this kingdom?  St. John gave us a glimpse of the eternal kingdom: “God himself will be with them as their God.  He will wipe away every tear from their eyes, and death shall be no more, neither shall there be mourning, nor crying, nor pain anymore, for the former things have passed away” (Revelation 21:3-4).  Money won’t matter; we will have everything we need.  Sorrows will be gone; there will be no pain or loss to grieve over.  Health care won’t be necessary because our bodies will be incorruptible.  Our resurrected bodies will be perfected for eternal life.  In other words, all the things we long for will be given to us in measures beyond our grasp.  What the world screams over, we simply wait for.  This is the glory of our ascended Lord’s everlasting kingdom.

     St. Luke wrote, “In the first book, O Theophilus, I have dealt with all that Jesus began to do and teach, until the day when he was taken up” (Acts 1:1-2).  Did you catch that?  The Gospel of Luke recorded everything that Jesus began to do and teach.  He has ascended into heaven and is physically removed from our sight, but Jesus is still at work.  He worked through the apostles who performed the same miraculous signs Jesus did.  He worked through the apostles who passed on Jesus’ teachings in the words of the New Testament.

     While the miraculous signs ended with the apostles, the teaching did not.  To this day, the Church proclaims the kingdom of God to all people—people who long for peace, for hope, for a joyful future, for deliverance from death, and for relief from guilt and shame.  You have what they need.  So, when I say that the Church proclaims the kingdom of God to all people, understand that you are the Church.  You have friends who need to be rescued from the deceptions of the devil, from the terrors of death, and from a life without any real purpose.  If they are going to hear about the kingdom of God from “the Church,” no committee or board is going to find your friends.  You are the one to proclaim it.  And Jesus will work through you to snatch people from the power of the devil and to bring them into an everlasting kingdom of grace and glory.

     Jesus Christ lives and reigns over all things.  His kingdom is in good hands.  Jesus Christ lives and reigns forever.  Therefore, his kingdom cannot pass away.  Our ascended Savior establishes an everlasting kingdom, and he has established you in it.

In the name of the Father and of the Son + and of the Holy Spirit.  Amen.